November 20, 2018
Thanksgiving and National Adoption Month
November is National Adoption Month, and this year’s theme is “Lifting Up Youth Voices.” It highlights the valuable and important stories adoptees and children in the foster care system have to tell. Their voice is powerful, their message is true, and they deserve to be heard.
Thanksgiving week is here, which means there are so many ways to extend the holiday’s spirit of gratitude and community through the rest of the month — especially as it aligns with National Adoption Month. Here are some thoughts on how you and your family can get involved.
Visit a local orphanage, group home, or foster care center and engage one-on-one with the kids living there. Ask them questions, show them that they matter, and that their story means something to you. These children often have no support system whatsoever — no one checking in on them, showing love during the holidays, or giving them a safe space to share what’s on their mind. You have the power to be that person.
You talk with your child every day, but how often are you really diving into their story, and giving them an opportunity to share the deeper parts of themselves? We don’t say that with judgment — life is busy, and it’s a challenging thing to do. Take some time and think about aspects of your child’s life you’d like to know more about. How do they really feel about their adoption? What does it mean to them to be an adoptee? Do they have any desire to meet their birth parents? These are big questions, we know, but creating space to dialogue about these topics with your kids gives you an incredible opportunity to get to know them on an even deeper level, and to help them feel safe sharing themselves with you.
Volunteer. When it comes to supporting youth in foster care, one of the most important resources you have is time. People can drop of meals and backpacks filled with necessities and those are wonderful, valuable things. But they aren’t human connection. And if we really want to dig in to the spirit of this year’s National Adoption Month celebration, we have to engage the kids, and give them space to speak their truth.
Most importantly, don’t forget about the initiative once the month is over! Just because November ends it doesn’t mean National Adoption Month falls by the wayside. Bring the theme into your life, let it guide and motivate new experiences for you and your family. Don’t lose sight of how much you have to offer a child who needs a voice.