MYTH It takes years to complete an adoption.
REALITY The average time span of adoption is one to two years. The majority of domestic and international
adopters who responded to a recent poll by Adoptive Families Magazine completed their adoptions in less than a year.
MYTH Birthparents can show up at any time to reclaim their child.
REALITY Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive family is recognized as the child’s family by law. Despite the publicity surrounding a few high-profile cases, post-adoption revocations are extremely rare.
MYTH Birthparents are all troubled teens.
REALITY Most birthparents today are over 18, but lack the resources to care for a child. It is generally with courage and love for their child that they terminate their parental rights.
MYTH Adopted children are more likely to be troubled than birth children.
REALITY Research shows that adoptees are as well-adjusted as their non-adopted peers. There is virtually no difference in psychological functioning between them.
MYTH Open adoption causes problems for children.
REALITY Adoptees are not confused by contact with their birthparents. They benefit from the increased understanding that their birthparents gave them life but their forever families take care of and nurture them.
MYTH Parents can’t love an adopted child as much as they would a biological child.
REALITY Love and attachment are not the result of nor guaranteed by biology. The intensity of bonding and depth of emotion are the same, regardless of how the child joined the family.