Scrapbookers Inner Circle

When I made adoption albums for my kids, my intention was to tell their adoption stories from the time we were preparing our file to the time their adoptions were finalized.  If you are doing an album about adoption, here are some components I recommend you include in your project.

First, decide what your purpose for the album is.  Like I said in my last post, I believe adoption is an extremely important life event that needs discussion, understanding and celebrating - and not just one time, but over and over again.  Kids don't just "get it" after one discussion.  They come to different stages of understanding as they grow older.  The album can be a great way to help in this discovery process.

 Work chronologically, from the preparation time through to finalization.  It's  great for your child to know that you prepared for them and looked forward to their arrival.  Chronology helps them to get a feel for how time progressed in the process.

Document your thoughts throughout.  Children love to know what you think of them and this also helps them to see that you are real, your feelings are real and that feelings are o.k..  It helps to know how you handled those feelings too.  For example how did you feel when you got "the call"; when you first held your child; when you stuggled with the process.?

Highlight funny or interesting events that happened along the way.  For instance, on our drive home from Georgia with my son, we had our car alarm go off  3 times at a rest stop in Tennessee in the middle of the night.  During our stay in Georgia for my daughter's adoption, we had a gathering with the caring home family and our adoption worker.  I included these events in the albums.

Talk about birthparents and caregivers (orphanage or caring home) if possible.  In my case, we met both birthmothers and have pictures of them with our children.  I also talk about the wonderful people who cared for our children while waiting for us to arrive.

Highlight the finalization process.   Our adoptions were finalized here in Canada and we went to the court house for both of them to make a special event out of it.  We took similar pictures for both kids in front of the building and talked about becoming a forever family.

I hope that as you work on your album, it brings great joy as I know it will to those who see it when it is completed.  By the way, you can easily adapt these ideas to make an album about pregnancy and giving birth.