Many agencies require pre-adoptive parents to attend adoption education. This education can take many shapes. It can consist of self-paced education with videos and workbooks, to several weeks of weekly meetings to two-day workshops.
Sometimes parents wonder if pre-adoption education is worth the time spent away from their current tasks and family. I believe that the pre-adoption education is well worth the time and effort. Just like pregnancy and birth education is a rite of passage for parents, adoptive parents should consider adoption education a rite of passage.
We attended a two-day workshop when we were with one agency. When we switched agencies we were required to work through a video based adoption education program.
As a couple we were asked to talk about some topics that we had never otherwise addressed as a couple. We discussed:
- Our preconceived attitudes and beliefs about adoption
- The adoption triad
- Parenting inter-racially
- Coping with the adoption wait and other challenges that arise during the adoption process
- Mental preparation
- Positive adoption language.
Aside from the positive outcome of our adoption education, we simply enjoyed being away as a couple. Adoption education is worth the time and effort.
