In our last class we also went over the language used in adoption. Unfortunately some of this language can have a negative impact on adoptive families and birth families. It was interesting to note the substitutes we can use to display adoption in a more positive light:
Negative:
“children of your own” –you mean my adopted child isn’t my child?!
“biological children” –you mean my adopted child is made of plastic?!
“natural children” –you mean my adopted child is a freak?!
“put up for adoption”—conjures up images of the auction block (an accurate picture of adoption a century ago)
“gave up for adoption” –you mean you just gave me away to some stranger?!
“real parents” –you mean I’m an unreal parent? I don’t count?
Positive:
“parents by adoption” or “parents by birth” (no matter what, our child arrived on earth
biologically, by birth – but he did not necessarily come to us that way)
“placed for adoption” or “made an adoption plan”
“birth parents”
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