No matter what you do in life, it seems like you encounter someone who does not approve of what you are doing. Adoption is no exception. It seems like everyone has an opinion and some of them aren’t very positive.
We have been in the process of adoption for 9 months and while most of the people we have encountered have been very positive, we have also run into people who thought it was a bad idea.
It is hard to know what to do or what to say when you encounter opposition. By the time you make the decision to adopt, it has become a deep and important dream. To have someone say something negative about this dream of yours can be very hurtful.
I hope that you will go through your adoption process with nothing but positive reactions. However, it is a good idea to be prepared for those who don’t understand.
Here are a few things that have helped me when I’ve encountered negative attitudes about adoption:
Know Why You’re Doing It
Take the time to go over in your mind the reasons that you have decided to adopt. Why is it a good option for your family? Why is it important to you? These are things that you can either use to respond to those who may not understand.
Trust Yourself
If you have made the choice to adopt, I imagine that it was not an overnight decision. You have likely done a lot of research and asked yourself a lot of questions. Trust the fact that you made a careful decision and that you know what is best for you and your family, even if others don’t agree with you.
Prepare Suitable Responses
Take some time to prepare suitable responses to people’s comments. If you are prepared in advance, then you will be more likely to give a good response and not be kicking yourself later because you didn’t have anything to say