I have written several blogs about the issue of parent’s claiming their adoptive child and now it is time for some practical tips and things parents can do to make claiming happen:
- 1- Dress up and have a new family photo taken. Place it on a wall where everyone can see it.
- 2- Put some snapshots of your child in your wallet and show them to friends and family.
- 3- Send out Adoption Announcements or have a “Kid Shower”
- >4- Have an announcement published in the newspaper, your company newsletter, and Church bulletin.
- 5- Have a Church dedication.
- 6- Host an open house for a few close family members and invite the neighbors who have children around the same ages as your newest family member.
- 7- Spend time with your child and decide how to decorate their bedroom. Always save this for when your child is placed so they can take part in all the fun and excitement.
- 8- Have a retro-active Birthday party with just your family and give your child a gift for each year he or she wasn’t living with you.
- 9- Join an adoption support group and attend meetings as often as possible.
- 10- Connect with other adoptive families on the Internet. Some great sites to meet other parents are: Families.com, Adoption.com, And my Personal Website.
- 11- Take a nice vacation and build some new memories together.
- 12- Add your new child’s date of birth and other important information to you datebook or wallet so you won’t be caught off guard and look as if you forgot it.
- 13- Keep a journal because it will help you see the progress and your child might enjoy reading it in the future.
- 14- Remember, A parent claims a child by Faith and by Fiat, “This is my child, from this moment on, and I will not consider it a choice, nor will I examine this decision again in the future.”
Photo credit for this blog entry: 
(no use restrictions for this photo)
Special Needs and Adoption-Related Terms:
A | B | C | D | E-F | G-H-I | J-K-L | M | N-O | P | Q-R | S | T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
For more information about parenting special needs children you might want to visit the Families.com Special Needs Blog and the Mental Health Blog. Or visit my personal website.