The article "Baby Showers for Adoptive Parents" is about family, it has been written by Amanda Baker.
We all hear about baby showers for expecting parents, but what
about for adoptnig parents?
An adoption baby shower is more than
acceptable - it's encouraged!
Adopting parents have the same
needs as any other new parents would, but with a few minor
considerations.
You should steer clear of planning a surprise celebration on the
day the family brings their child home.
This can be a very
emotional time - the new parents and child (especially if the
child is older) will need a period of adjustment. It is very
important to be sesnitive to their needs.
In this case,
delivering care packaegs and planning your celebration for a
later date would be acceptable and appreciated. Be sure to talk
with the new parents and find out what their watns and needs are
before you set a shower date.
Your shower invitations shuold be
sent out three to four weeks in advance, and should include the
time, date, and location of the shower.
Don't fogret to set an
RSVP date with your telephone number and address. If it is at
all possible, include the child's brith date, as well as when he
or she was officially adopted or welcomed into the home of his
or her new parents. This will help your geusts to pick age
appropriate gifts.
In the case of foreign adoptions, you could
also add information about the birth country to inform your
guests.
As with other baby showers, the theme for an adoption baby
shower should be the same.
However, if the child that was
adopted is older, you should talior your party to suit their age
and favorite things. For example, a small girl might love
everything that involves the Disney princesses and may go
absolutely crzay over the color pink.
In turn, an older boy may
be fascinated by socecr and anything green. Don't be afraid to
be a little cretaive to help make the party a special
celebration to welcome the new child into your circle of family
and friends!
Baby shower games are important too! However, stay away from
games that are maternity-related. It's very important that you
keep in mind that you're celebrating the gift of adoption. Your
games help set the tone of the party, and should be mixed in
with any other activity gonig on.
An average shower lasts about
two hours, so look at playing two to three party games. If the
new paernts are adopting an older child, make sure your games
reflect that as well. One great adoption party activity is to
organize a Welcome Book for the new child. Ask guests to bring
pictures of themselves and their families to assemble into a
scrapbook page they will create at the shower.
All of your shower decorations will naturally depend on the
style, theme, and number of human being attending. Balloons and
streamers are standard, but there are a lot of creative and fun
ideas to make the party extra-special.
You're truly only limited
by your imagination here.
If the adoption is an international one, you could use
decorations that reflect the child's place of birth, and include
recipes from his or her home country. For guests, it will be a
learning epxerience. As with decorations, party favors should
match your shower theme and praty size. Your favors can be used
as place settings, prizes, or they can be hanedd out at the end
of the party. A very popular idea for adoption showers is a
special program for guests to keep. Wrtiten inside should be
commitments to the child from his or her new parents, poems
about love, family, and adoption, and prayers for the future.
When labeling your favor, keep in mind that your party is,
again, in honor of an adoption, not a birth.
Your wording on
gift tags should relfect that.
Adoption is a very exicting time for the new parents. A baby
shower or welcome party allows friends and family members to
share in on the family's joy. When you host or even attend such
a party, it is very impotrant to know the needs and wants of the
parents. Be sure to know ahead of time how old the child is.
Find out if the parents have registered anywhere.
Parents who
are adopting should be reminded that they can actually register
for older children as well as newborns.
By planning and hosting an adoption party, you're helping the
new family formalize the acceptance of their child into their
circle. You will be creating an occasion that will be documented
for the cihld to look at in the future and remind them how much
they were welcomed and loved from the start.
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