Adoptee Perspective
One thing I often say about my parents is this: they did the best they could with what they had.
They raised me during a time when adoption education wasn’t really part of the conversation. Terms like ambiguous loss or disenfranchised grief weren’t widely known, let alone discussed at the kitchen table. There was no YouTube, no podcasts, no social media accounts led by adoptees sharing their lived experiences. If you were navigating adoption, you did it largely on your own, with limited information and even fewer voices from those most impacted.
As we step into 2026, we’re excited to share how our Adoptee Services are evolving and how that growth will better serve our community. Adoptive and prospective adoptive parents now have access to an incredible range of resources. Much of that education is coming directly from adoptees and others within the adoption triad.
Our Focus for the Adoptee Services Branch in 2026
- Increasing Community Engagement Through Triad Storytelling and Events
Stories matter. They help us understand one another, build empathy, and feel less alone. In 2026, we will create more opportunities for adoptees, birth families, and adoptive families to share their lived experiences. Through storytelling initiatives, community gatherings, and meaningful events, we aim to foster connection and honest conversation across the triad.
- Strengthening Supplemental Education
This year, we will strengthen our supplemental education offerings to ensure they are accessible, relevant, and responsive to the real needs of our community. We want to ensure families are not only aware of these resources but feel supported in using them. By expanding education and training opportunities, we aim to help parents build understanding, resilience, and the ability to listen deeply to adoptee voices.
Looking Ahead
A new year doesn’t erase the past, but it does give us the chance to grow with greater awareness. We honor the parents and families who did the best they could with the information available to them. At the same time, we recognize our responsibility to do better now that we know more.
Adoptive Parent Perspective
This past month marked one year since I joined Abiding Love Charities, and it felt important to pause, both to reflect on what I’ve learned and to look ahead to what the next year holds. This year has been empowering in ways I didn’t fully anticipate, shaping me not only as an adoptive parent but also as an advocate and educator within the adoption space.
But what does empowerment actually look like? For me?
In our professional conversations, we often talk about empowering expectant mothers to make informed decisions, encouraging adoptive parents to grow through education and support, and honoring adoptees by protecting their identity, voice, and connection. Those words matter, but this year taught me that empowerment isn’t something we simply talk about. It’s something we live out. Something we model. Something we choose, again and again.
Adoption has a way of inviting growth, humility, and deeper understanding. Over the past year, I’ve experienced all three. I’ve learned that meaningful adoption education doesn’t come from having the loudest voice or the most polished plan. It comes from leading by example. It’s relational. It’s rooted in respect for every part of the adoption triad.
As a team, we recognized the need to expand adoptive parent education both before and after placement, offering coaching and resources that meet families in real, everyday life. By better educating adoptive families, we can more effectively serve birthmothers through tangible care and consistent connection. We have also strengthened partnerships and created community spaces where honest, sometimes hard conversations could happen safely. Through this work, we’ve grown more patient, more thoughtful, and more committed to doing adoption work with integrity and compassion.
As I step into my second year at Abiding Love Charities, I’m carrying these lessons forward while continuing to look for ways to stand more fully in the gap. My goal is to keep developing resources that model ethical, loving adoption, not as an abstract ideal, but through the daily decisions, projects, and conversations that shape our work.
I enter this new year grounded in what I’ve learned, grateful for how I’ve grown, and confident that when love empowers, it truly changes people, families, and futures.
Birth Mother Perspective
I’ve been fortunate enough to have met many birth mothers throughout my journey. Too many to count, in fact. I joke that I see my friends within the Birth Mother community more than I do my friends outside of it. Being engaged in this community has become such a regular aspect of my life and in my family that even my young sons only recently started to understand that not every mom they meet is a Birth Mother.
I didn’t always have community like this in abundance though.Shame kept me isolated for many years. It led to many messy moments and at some point I started to believe life would always be chaotic.
But then I met other Birth Mothers who carried themselves with a confidence I didn’t realize I craved. I started learning and engaging differently and they showed me what it looked like to live a life not being held down by the burden of shame. Since then, my life has become rich.
And to think I could have missed out on this.
This last year has brought new challenges and wins within the Birth Mother community but one thing remains the same–we all desire connection.
While we all share a common need to be in community with one another, community can look different for everyone depending on what a person’s emotional needs are. As we go into the new year, my passion for empowering Birth Mothers to get involved and find their voice is only validated and my hope is that we can continue to create a variety of spaces for Birth Mothers to feel heard and seen. What works for one Birth Mother may not work for another, which is why it’s crucial to have different support options. We’ve got to continue to think outside the box.
As someone who has spent many years investing in and observing the Birth Mother community both personally and professionally, so much of what we do within the post-placement care world is new. We are going to get a lot of things wrong, but we are also going to get a lot of things right. And when looking for support or community, Birth Mothers should remember that it may take time and intentional effort to figure out where they feel the most supported and cared for.
It took me several years to figure out what type of support was going to be best for me. It was slow at first, and I attended many events and groups that felt uncomfortable. But I knew that one day, I’d find what worked. I’d figure out what my needs were. I just had to be diligent and not give up in my pursuit of community and care. I’m so grateful I didn’t give up. We are all doing this together and learning as we go and that’s part of the beauty of this community. But we’ve got to keep advocating for comprehensive post-placement care and showing up for one another even if others don’t understand the need. We understand the need. And that’s what should keep us going. That’s what keeps me going. The year 2026 will bring even more challenges and wins, and I’m looking forward to taking them on.