How scary is that!...the myths of open adoption revealed

This post is to test your knowledge on adoption.  Feel free to print this and quiz your family, friends, and co-workers.  This is a fun way to see how much you and they know.  Can you find the myths?

True or False

1. Adoptive parents in open adoption often feel out of control and lack a sense of attachment and relationship with their child.
2. Adoptive parents and birth parents in open adoptions are constantly confused about their parental rights. It's difficult to tell where one parent stops and the other begins.
3. Children in open adoptions are completely confused about who their parents really are. They do not understand the roles of their birth and adoptive parents.
4. The adolescent's adoptive identity and degree of preoccupation with adoption are related to the level of openness in the adoption. The more open the adoption, the greater the lack of identity for the adopted teen.
5. Birth mothers in open adoptions struggle with grief resolution. Spending time with their placed child is painful and recalls the past grief. Open adoptions delay healing.

Answers:

1. False. Adoptive parents in open adoption often feel that they have control and a GREATER sense of permanence in their relationship with their child.
2. False. Adoptive parents and birth parents within open adoptions are usually fully aware of their responsibilities and rights. This is a relationship that is constantly evolving and needs lots of open communication to flourish.
3. False. Children in open adoptions understand the parental roles of their birth and adoptive families. This is easier for the children when the adults in their lives are open and honest with them.  It helps dispel the “what ifs.”
4. False. Research shows that an adopted teen's sense of identity and how preoccupied he is with adoption is not related to the level of openness in his adoption.
5. False. Birth mothers in open and ongoing mediated adoptions do NOT have more problems with grief resolution. In fact, research shows that they did better with grief resolution than those birth mothers in closed adoptions. However, research also shows that an abrupt stop in contact did cause birth mothers more difficulty in grief resolution.

These questions and answers were provided by: http://adoption.about.com/od/typesofadoption/a/mythsopenadopt.htm

Keep checking back because I will have more quizzes and information on this topic!