Adopting a child is nothing new in either my family or my husband’s.  We had heard much of the adoption terminology as we were growing up.  Still when we began adopting our own boys there were words we didn’t know the definition of and phrases we asked our social worker to make a little clearer. 

As adoption has become more and more complex, the adoption terminology dictionary gets longer and longer.  For instance, fifty years ago open adoption wasn’t heard of.  (It may have been in practice between friends and family, but not stranger to stranger.)

Obviously the more you read about adoption the more you will come to understand the meanings of the words you come across, but just in case you’d like a handy resource, here are a few links that can tell you everything you wanted to know about adoption terminology.

Adoption Glossary

Glossary of Adoption Terminology

Terminology isn’t just limited to the legal aspect of adoption, there’s the social aspect as well.  Parents who adopt children are often asked, “So, who are his real parents?”  Sometimes this is an innocent question, sometimes it’s loaded, so don’t be surprised if the “real parent” gives you a cold answer.  "I am my son’s real parent.  The woman who gave birth to him is his biological parent."  If you don’t want to run the risk of offending anyone then take a look at this list.

Tia Linschied is the mother of four beautiful children, two of which are adopted foster children.  Tia enjoys writing about her family, homeschooling, and her experiences as a foster and adoptive parent.

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