306: What if Adopting Doesn't Work Out?

It's estimated that there are between 40 and 100 families waiting for every available infant placement. The odds are not in everyone’s favor, and at least some of the people hoping to adopt a newborn will just not be able to. That’s a hard truth. What happens if and when you stop waiting to adopt?

Meet two people who did just that for their own reasons and in their own way. As they both found that there was not a lot of support or guidance available on how to get off the adoption roller coaster like there is in getting onto it. Both of our guests, Jess Tennant and Greg, are thriving today, a few years past their decisions to stop the madness that adoption waiting turned out to be. And accept – even embrace – a child-free lifestyle.

In case you have wondered about this uncharted exit ramp, in case you wonder if people can be happy walking away from their hopes and dreams to adopt, in case you feel like you are swimming in our culture’s pronatalism and that non-child families are not valued, you’ll want to hear what Jess and Greg have to say.

Show Notes:

• Jess’ (childless) Mothers Day #6 post
  
• Jess’ first blog: My Path to Mommyhood
• Jess’ current blog: Finding A Different Path
• Jess on MSNBC Health: How I Learned to Embrace My Child-Free Life After Wanting to Be a Mom
• Greg’s infertility/childfree blog (not regularly updated)

Transcript

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About this Podcast

Lori Holden (The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole) brings to you an array of articulate and thought-provoking guests with lived experience in adoption, each with valuable insights to share about the all-encompassing journey of parenting an adopted person from babyhood to toddlerhood to school age to teenage -- and ultimately to adulthood. Join us as we explore Adoption: The Long View.

Named a Top 25 Adoption Podcast