Adoption in Texas has changed enormously over the last 100 years. In fact, it’s experienced incredible changes over even just the last 50, 40, and 10 years. Let’s talk about some of these important changes:
You don't PUT UP a child for adoption. You PLACE a child for adoption. The phrase “put up for adoption” came out of a time over 100 years ago when orphaned children were placed on long trains and shipped out west. At each stop, the children would be put up on a platform and offered to the locals to be adopted. Usually the people adopting these children were only selecting kids who would be useful in helping on the farm. Younger children were often not selected because they were incapable of hard labor.
Today, adoption in Texas is very different. Birth mothers are given the opportunity to place their child with a family of their own choosing. Birth mothers are provided lots of information about potential adoptive parents and they are provided plenty of time to make this important decision carefully.
A birth mother is a responsible, loving mother. Historically, women who placed their children for adoption in Texas were considered neglectful, irresponsible, and careless people. But adoption in Texas has changed. It is now understood that placing a child for adoption in Texas is a responsible choice by an expectant mother who wants more for her child than what she is able to give. It’s a decision to provide her baby with the best chance at life even though she herself may not be ready to parent. Since adoption in Texas has evolved, the sacrifice and bravery of birth mothers is recognized and honored as a loving, responsible choice.
Goodbye is not forever. In the past, if an expectant mother placed her child for adoption in Texas, it was likely that she would never see that child again. Nowadays, this is what we call a closed adoption. If an expectant mother wants that kind of distance, she can still choose to have a closed adoption. However, if a birth mother actually desires to stay in contact with her child and their family, she now has the option of selecting a semi-open adoption. In an open adoption, a birth mother can expect to receive pictures and regular updates on how her child is doing, and she may even be able to occasionally visit them. In an semi-open adoption in Texas, goodbye is not forever. In fact, it’s the beginning of something great.
Interested in placing a child for adoption? Find out about your adoption options by speaking with an Options Counselor today.