Baby Showers For Adoptive Parents
By Amanda Baker, Fri Dec 9th
We all hear about baby showers for expecting parents, but whatabout for adopting parents? An adoption baby shower is more thanacceptable - it's encouraged! Adopting parents have the sameneeds as any other new parents would, but with a few minorconsiderations. You should steer clear of planning a surprise celebration on theday the family brings their child home. This can be a veryemotional time - the new parents and child (especially if thechild is older) will need a period of adjustment. It is veryimportant to be sensitive to their needs. In this case,delivering care packages and planning your celebration for alater date would be acceptable and appreciated. Be sure to talkwith the new parents and find out what their wants and needs arebefore you set a shower date. Your shower invitations should besent out three to four weeks in advance, and should include thetime, date, and location of the shower. Don't forget to set anRSVP date with your telephone number and address. If it is atall possible, include the child's birth date, as well as when heor she was officially adopted or welcomed into the home of hisor her new parents. This will help your guests to pick ageappropriate gifts. In the case of foreign adoptions, you couldalso add information about the birth country to inform yourguests. As with other baby showers, the theme for an adoption babyshower should be the same. However, if the child that wasadopted is older, you should tailor your party to suit their ageand favorite things. For example, a small girl might loveeverything
that involves the Disney princesses and may goabsolutely crazy over the color pink. In turn, an older boy maybe fascinated by and anything green. Don't be afraid tobe a little creative to help make the party a specialcelebration to welcome the new child into your circle of familyand friends!
Baby shower games are important too! However, stay away fromgames that are maternity-related. It's very important that youkeep in mind that you are celebrating the gift of adoption. Yourgames help set the tone of the party, and should be mixed inwith any other activity going on. An average shower lasts abouttwo hours, so look at playing two to three party games. If thenew parents are adopting an older child, make sure your gamesreflect that as well. One great adoption party activity is toorganize a Welcome Book for the new child. Ask guests to bringpictures of themselves and their families to assemble into ascrapbook page they will create at the shower. All of your shower decorations will naturally depend on thestyle, theme, and number of people attending. Balloons andstreamers are standard, but there are a lot of creative and funideas to make the party extra-special. You're truly only limitedby your imagination here. If the adoption is an international one, you could usedecorations that reflect the child's place of birth, and includerecipes from his or her home country. For guests, it will be alearning experience. As with decorations, party favors shouldmatch your shower theme and party size. Your favors can be usedas place settings, prizes, or they can be handed out at the endof the party. A very popular idea for adoption showers is aspecial program for guests to keep. Written inside should becommitments to the child from his or her new parents, poemsabout love, family, and adoption, and prayers for the future.When labeling your favor, keep in mind that your party is,again, in honor of an adoption, not a birth. Your wording ongift tags should reflect that. Adoption is a very exciting time for the new parents. A babyshower or welcome party allows friends and family members toshare in on the family's joy. When you host or even attend sucha party, it is very important to know the needs and wants of theparents. Be sure to know ahead of time how old the child is.Find out if the parents have registered anywhere. Parents whoare adopting should be reminded that they can actually registerfor older children as well as newborns. By planning and hosting an adoption party, you are helping thenew family formalize the acceptance of their child into theircircle. You will be creating an occasion that will be documentedfor the child to look at in the future and remind them how muchthey were welcomed and loved from the start. About the author:Amanda Baker writes for All Things Pondered:http://AllThingsPondered.com |
