There's several pages and some graphics, but this article is interesting:


http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/Living/Adoption_state_laws_040430-1.html


-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown

>Subject: Open AdoptionFrom: lilmtncbn@aol.comnospam (LilMtnCbn)Date: 5/1/04 9:42 AM Pacific Daylight TimeMessage-id: <20040501124247.15636.00000607@mb-m14.aol.com>There's several pages and some graphics, but this article is interesting:http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/Living/Adoption_state_laws_040430-1.html

Adding to what Marla referenced above:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/popoff/DailyNews/adoption_map_040429/i
ndex.html

And OA state statute specifics:

http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/laws/coopadopt/states.cfm


Kathy
http://hometown.aol.com/meagan787/myhomepage/dog.html

meagan787@aol.comsthesun (Kathy ) wrote in message news:<20040501134404.18279.00000500@mb-m23.aol.com>...Subject: Open AdoptionFrom: lilmtncbn@aol.comnospam (LilMtnCbn)Date: 5/1/04 9:42 AM Pacific Daylight TimeMessage-id: <20040501124247.15636.00000607@mb-m14.aol.com>There's several pages and some graphics, but this article is interesting:http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/Living/Adoption_state_laws_040430-1.html Adding to what Marla referenced above: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/popoff/DailyNews/adoption_map_040429/i ndex.html And OA state statute specifics: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/laws/coopadopt/states.cfm Kathy http://hometown.aol.com/meagan787/myhomepage/dog.html

And here's the URL of a study from the researcher referenced in the
ABC story. (The study is too long to post here...)

http://fsos.che.umn.edu/mtarp/Final%20Report%202%20convert.htm

But here's one of the conclusions:

"The level of openness in most adoptions (confidential, mediated,
fully disclosed) remained the same from middle childhood to
adolescence, but there were frequently changes in the degree of
contact within openness level.

"During childhood and early adolescence, the adoptive mother (in two
parent families) played the primary role in managing contact with
birthfamily members. As time went on, the responsibility for contact
tended to shift from adoptive mother and birthmother to adopted child
and birthmother. In general, adoptive fathers were less involved than
mothers in this process across time.
Adoptive parents were more satisfied when birthmothers respected their
family's boundaries and let the adoptive family initiate most of the
contact.
When there were decreases in openness in adoptive kinship networks,
the birthmothers and adoptive parents tended to have incongruent
accounts regarding who initiated discontinuation of contact and
divergent understandings about why contact stopped.

"In general, adolescents who had contact with birthmothers reported
higher degrees of satisfaction with their level of adoption openness
and with the intensity of their contact with birthmother than did
adolescents who had no contact. Satisfaction with adoption openness
was lower during middle adolescence (ages 14-16) than during early or
late adolescence."

SO there you go. Within the sample he looked at (almost entirely HWIs
adopted into middleclass caucasian families), it does look as though
OAs are good for kid and b-mom.

Rupa

>Subject: Re: Open AdoptionFrom: rkbose@pacific.net.sg (Rupa Bose)Date: 5/1/04 7:49 PM Pacific Daylight TimeMessage-id: <e5619372.0405011849.2770fe93@posting.google.com>meagan787@aol.comsthesun (Kathy ) wrote in messagenews:<20040501134404.18279.00000500@mb-m23.aol.com>...Subject: Open AdoptionFrom: lilmtncbn@aol.comnospam (LilMtnCbn)Date: 5/1/04 9:42 AM Pacific Daylight TimeMessage-id: <20040501124247.15636.00000607@mb-m14.aol.com>There's several pages and some graphics, but this article is interesting:http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/Living/Adoption_state_laws_040430-1.html Adding to what Marla referenced above: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/popoff/DailyNews/adoption_map_040429/i ndex.html And OA state statute specifics: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/laws/coopadopt/states.cfm Kathy http://hometown.aol.com/meagan787/myhomepage/dog.htmlAnd here's the URL of a study from the researcher referenced in theABC story. (The study is too long to post here...)http://fsos.che.umn.edu/mtarp/Final%20Report%202%20convert.htmBut here's one of the conclusions:"The level of openness in most adoptions (confidential, mediated,fully disclosed) remained the same from middle childhood toadolescence, but there were frequently changes in the degree ofcontact within openness level."During childhood and early adolescence, the adoptive mother (in twoparent families) played the primary role in managing contact withbirthfamily members. As time went on, the responsibility for contacttended to shift from adoptive mother and birthmother to adopted childand birthmother. In general, adoptive fathers were less involved thanmothers in this process across time.Adoptive parents were more satisfied when birthmothers respected theirfamily's boundaries and let the adoptive family initiate most of thecontact.When there were decreases in openness in adoptive kinship networks,the birthmothers and adoptive parents tended to have incongruentaccounts regarding who initiated discontinuation of contact anddivergent understandings about why contact stopped."In general, adolescents who had contact with birthmothers reportedhigher degrees of satisfaction with their level of adoption opennessand with the intensity of their contact with birthmother than didadolescents who had no contact. Satisfaction with adoption opennesswas lower during middle adolescence (ages 14-16) than during early orlate adolescence."SO there you go. Within the sample he looked at (almost entirely HWIsadopted into middleclass caucasian families), it does look as thoughOAs are good for kid and b-mom.Rupa

I concur.

Thanks, Rupa. :-)


Kathy

Rupa posts info concerning open adoptions with ongoing contact:

<snip>
As time went on, the responsibility for contacttended to shift from adoptive mother and birthmother to adopted childand birthmother. >>

Interesting you should contribute this, Rupa. Just a few hours ago my sons and
I were standing on a greeting card aisle choosing Mothers' Day cards for family
mothers (including their birthmothers) and my older son, who is only eight,
said he would pick out his own this year for his birthmother (I have typically
made the selections), write on it himself and mail it himself. He chose a
beautiful and touching one, wrote the cutest sentiments inside and it is
sitting here by my computer ready to be mailed tomorrow. I am very happy to see
him begin to take the lead in that relationship.


P2P