5 Holiday Traditions to Start in an Open Adoption as a Birth Mother
As the holidays approach, having an open adoption allows you to share many precious moments with your child as a birth mother. This includes starting your own holiday traditions for your child as a birth mother, as you once shared with your parents. The holidays can bring up the emotions surrounding your choice to place your baby for adoption, but celebrating your child during the festive season will help ease the pain and bring warmth to your heart.
Creating long-lasting holiday traditions as a birth mother is an important step of your adoption journey. The holidays can be tough knowing that your child may not be physically there with you. That said, you can still start any holiday tradition with your child and their adoptive parents that you can share for years to come. As a birth mother, establishing these traditions early on will be a great way to let your child know just how special and loved they are by you.
At Adoption Choices of Missouri, we have listed five-holiday traditions to start in an open adoption as a birth mother.
- Create a Holiday Ornament
When the holidays come around, having a personalized ornament to hang on your tree or gift to your child is a great way to symbolize your selfless decision to choose adoption for him or her. As a birth mother, you can add your child’s birth weight, size, time and even their footprint to this ornament. You can also include any other special details you want to celebrate your child’s birth. This special gift will remind your child that you will never forget him or her and that they will always hold a special place in your heart and home.
- Write a Letter / Send a Holiday Card
Writing a personalized letter to your child will let them know that you are thinking of them this holiday season. It will also remind him or her how much you love them. You can write special things you want your child to know, like how proud you are of them as they grow up. Writing such a special letter that your child can treasure as the years go by lets the special memory be a keepsake for him or her forever.
- Have an After Holiday Visit
Visiting your child or having a special day picked out after the holidays for you both to enjoy will allow for special moments and a deep bond to form between you two. This special visit could be you inviting your child to your house to bake cookies, or to hang out with you and your family and his or her biological siblings. Whichever activity you choose will forever be a great tradition for your child to celebrate and remind them that they are an important part of your family.
- Start a Scrapbook
Capturing the big and small moments during the holiday season is a fantastic way to remember all the special times you get to spend with your child. This could be through taking a lot of pictures or creating a scrapbook. Either way, your child’s holiday memories with you will have a fun and safe place for them to look at over and over again as they get older.
- Give a Special Present
If there is a keepsake or something you’d like to give your child, the holiday season is a great time to give it to them. Having a special gift from you will keep your bond with your child growing strong. Additionally, your gift will remind them how much you love them and that you’ll always be close by.
Holiday Traditions to Start in an Open Adoption as a Birth Mother
As a birth mother, the holidays can be a tough time when going through your adoption journey, whether this is your first or third time celebrating with your child and their adoptive parents. However, it can also be a very special and memorable season where you create holiday traditions and have time together. If you are interested in starting a holiday tradition with your adoption triad this year, talk with your child’s adoptive parents about what would work best.
Or, if you need extra support, know that Adoption Choices of Missouri is always here for you. We will not be closed during the holidays, so you will never be alone. Our adoption counselors will be available to give you the encouragement, comfort, and confidence you need to make it through this time of the year.
Adoption Choices of Missouri serves birth parents statewide and beyond, please call us or text us to learn more! Call us toll free at 877-903-4488 or, in Missouri call or text us at 1-816-527-9800
Meet the Author: Samara Wiley is a published author of poetry, essays, and an environmental children’s storybook called, Waiting for the Water Fairy. She graduated from Benedictine University in 2018 with a double Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and French.She has been published in three small poetry anthologies one was called Talented.
Her other writing accomplishments include: winning a high school poetry competition and $2500 for her high school, having two out of her five novels be considered for publication and writing movie critic reviews for her university’s newsletter.
Although she has Cerebral Palsy and has had a turbulent childhood, Samara puts these small specs of herself into her writing to personally connect with her audience. She prides herself on pushing the boundaries in her writing and in her personal life with everything she does. Samara writes with her heart and a voice of compassion, and loves to pull from her top passions in life.
She currently lives in Yorkville, Illinois with her mom and two sisters.
