In the past, adoptions were often closed, which meant that there was no contact between the birth mother and the child or the adoptive parents. Back in the 1950s and earlier, adoptions were often kept secret by family members. Many children who were adopted during this time never had any idea who their birth parents were and had no way to find them.
Today, though, things have changed. Closed options do still happen, of course, but the same level of secrecy usually doesn’t exist. Many closed adoptions are international adoptions. There’s a significant level of separation because the child could be adopted in a country that is thousands of miles away from where they were born, and they may never see that country or their birth parents again.
The increase in open adoptions
Among domestic adoptions in the United States, though, open adoptions are becoming more common. This gives children a chance to meet their birth parents.
Even among these open adoptions, each case can be unique. For instance, some adopted children may technically know who their birth parents are but have very little contact with them. In other cases, they will stay in close contact, and the birth mother may even come to important events like birthday parties or graduation ceremonies.
Often, it depends on the reason for the adoption. Someone who gave their child up for adoption because they couldn’t financially afford to raise the child, for instance, may still be very interested in staying involved in that child’s life. Because each case can be unique, it’s quite important for all going through this process to understand exactly what legal steps to take.