| Crafting a life book may seem like a overwhelming | | | | child understand his or her history. |
| task. If you aren't a particular crafty person or don't | | | | For example, though one of the most important |
| have much information about your child's life before | | | | parts of the life book is about the biological mother, |
| he or she became a part of your life, it can be hard | | | | you may not even have a photo. You may want to |
| to figure out where to start. | | | | include a poem about how a birth mom feels or write |
| Each family that adopts has a different kind of | | | | something like, "Did you know that your birth mom |
| relationship with their birth mother. It can very from | | | | and birth father passed along a lot of physical traits |
| one end of the spectrum to the other. For example, | | | | you to in their DNA. I bet you got your pretty blond |
| I've met families who actually have the birth mother | | | | curls from your birth mom!" |
| baby sit the child on occasion. Other families meet | | | | Sometimes you may not even know the birthdate of |
| the birth mom once or twice a year for a visit at a | | | | your child or where he or she was born. Rather than |
| park. Sadly, some families know nothing about their | | | | calling attention to this fact, write something like, |
| child's birth mom than perhaps her name and city in | | | | "You were probably born sometime during the winter |
| which she gave birth. | | | | of 2005 because when you came to the orphanage |
| Adoptive families that have more than one adopted | | | | you weight about the same as the other children |
| child may have one birthmom that is very involved | | | | born about that time." |
| and another that has no contact. Hence, sometimes | | | | Don't forget that it's not the amount of information |
| a birthmom of one child will even send notes or small | | | | that will make your album complete, but the love and |
| gifts to the sibling of the child. | | | | effort that you put into the adoption book that your |
| If you have a good relationship with a birth mom you | | | | child will notice most. As your child grows older and |
| may be able to get any information you wish for | | | | asks more questions about his place of origin, you |
| your child's adoption album. She may even be eager | | | | can do research together to help answer his |
| to assist to help dig up information or answer | | | | questions. But don't put off creating an adoption life |
| questions to help your child have an amazing book. | | | | book because you don't have all the information you |
| If you don't have very much information about your | | | | wish you had. Children love reading about themselves |
| child's birth or birth family-if any at all-don't worry. | | | | and they even enjoy making up their own stories to |
| You can still design an incredible book that helps your | | | | fill in some of the blanks. |