Adoption Language

Don't worry, I'll update you on all our snow and recent adventures in the past 11 days

....tomorrow.

But for now, just wanted to do a quick little post on the words we speak.

Since we are adopting, OUR PAPERWORK IS ALMOST COMPLETE, I figured I should start letting friends and family know and understand terminology.

It's mainly to understand how things can be said with the greatest of care but still sound terrible, and how to prevent that from happening to you!

The terms on the LEFT are the NEGATIVE

Terms on the RIGHT are POSITIVE

Here goes:

"Gave up her child for adoption".............."Placed her child for adoption"

"Real parent; natural parent"..............."Biological parent, birth parent"

"Adoptive parent".................."Parent"

"His adopted child".............."His child"

"Illegitimate"...................."Born to unmarried parents"

"Adoptee"............."Child who was adopted"

"To keep"............."To parent; to raise"

"Adoptable child; available child"......................."Waiting child"

"Foreign adoption"............."International adoption"

"Track down parents"............."Search"

"Unwanted child"................."Child placed for adoption"

"Is adopted"..............."Was adopted"

"Keeping the baby"..........."Deciding to parent"

"Child of their own"..............."Birth child; biological child"

I am sure there are more but that is all that I can come up with right now!