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ADOPTION SPOTLIGHT: Adoption Lifebooks create “childhood memories” while helping a family through the adoption process. Every child deserves to know where he/she came from. An Adoption Lifebook is more than a life story. It is a unique opportunity for parents to honor every minute of their children's lives. It is the single most meaningful piece of "paperwork" that any social worker, foster or adoptive parent can complete with a child. This can give an adoptee/foster child a sweet childhood memory. An Adoption Lifebook is a record of a foster child/adoptee's life that uses words, photos, graphics, the child's artwork, and memorabilia. An Adoption Lifebook includes information about the child's birth family and reason for separating from them. For the adopted child, it is important to have access to a lifebook containing the images (if available) and story of the life a child had before joining the adoptive family. The lifebook is child-centered and therefore generally starts at birth and continues with pages about the birth mother and father, other family members, the place from which they came, the reasons why they are being placed for adoption, the time they spent in foster care, and people that provided care during the transition. The lifebook usually ends with placement in the new home. It can also include pages about legal documents or court appearances, medical information, and other events or milestones occurring prior to joining the adopting family. Creating a lifebook may seem like an overwhelming task, especially when there is not an abundance of information about your child's life before becoming a part of your family, but it is actually easy and fun. Among many other benefits, an adoption lifebook provides a concrete tool for meaningful conversation, an adoption security blanket, structure for dealing with difficult material/topics, ways to normalize adoption language, ways to reduce birth parent fantasies, opportunities to create positive identity and improve self-esteem, and space for planning future special events. A lifebook helps fill in missing pieces, creating "childhood memories" where maybe there were none before. There are numerous books and web sites available with information to get you started, tips for handling the unknown or any sensitive parts of a child's pre-adoption history, and (if the child is old enough) suggestions for ways to include your child in the creation of the lifebook. Some of the resources available include, but are not limited to: LIFEBOOKS: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child by Beth O'Malley, MEd. Adoption Lifebook: A Bridge to Your Child's Beginning by Cindy Probst, Med, MSW
www.adoptionlifebooks.com Your child's story is important and there is no better time than now to help him learn to tell it.
By Karen Sexton, Adoption Specialist, Abingdon and Rhonda Widener, Adoption Specialist, Cedar Bluff
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