As you know, November is National Adoption Month, and to honor this special holiday, we will be posting a new, helpful infographic every Wednesday this month. We hope these graphics will help you understand more about the adoption process and adoption in general.
Many adoptive families struggle daily with those unfamiliar with adoption using insensitive adoption language. While it may seem innocent to an outsider, these negative adoption terms can have a lasting affect on adoptive families and especially adopted children.
No matter how well-intentioned they may be, a stranger who approaches an adoptive family in the supermarket could potentially inflict pain on an adoptive parent or child with one simple statement or question. A simple phrase could cause a child to question the way he was brought into his family. One innocent word can cause a child to think she is strange or different or unwanted.
American Adoptions, along with others in the adoption community, promotes the use of positive adoption language that encourages a more accepting view of adoption. A few small changes in vocabulary can help promote adoption as a normal way to build a family.
