7 Common Mistakes Parents Make in their Adoptive Family Profile

An adoptive family profile is an important piece of your adoption paperwork. It's also a representation of everything you are to a prospective birthmother. That's why prospective adoptive parents are usually stressed out before writing it. The truth is, there are some common mistakes in adoptive family profiles that could be driving expectant parents away. So we've prepared a list of the most common mistakes that parents make in their adoptive family profiles.

1. Weak Photos

Prospective adoptive parents sometimes underestimate the importance of having strong photos. You can write pages and pages about how much you want to be a parent and what makes you special, but that can only do so much, so you'll need to add some photos to round out the depiction of you. Birthmothers want to see a number of strong pictures in your adoptive family profile. Don't be afraid to add photos from your everyday life, photos with your family, and photos with other children in your life.

2. Blurry or Low-Quality Photos

Also, when it comes to adoptive profile photos, avoid retouched and low-quality photos. Blurry or unrealistic photos put off a negative impression of you. You should aim to show the expectant parent what life would be like with your family, so include photos of different experiences, activities, and family celebrations.

3. Trying to Be Too Perfect

The biggest mistake you can make in your adoptive family profile is trying to be too perfect. When couples make themselves sound so perfect, nothing else seems credible. Be honest with yourself and put that honesty into your profile.

4. Lying

Another adoptive family profile mistake is when people write things they can't back up in later conversations. This can ruin your chances of creating a relationship with a prospective birthmother, so lying to any degree is out of the question.

5. Too Generic

Profiles that don't seem personal enough are also a turn-off. You have to keep in mind that a birthmother will be reading through a large number of these profiles, so you'll have to stand out. Don't use templates from the internet or ask someone else to create it for you. The adoptive family profile is something personal and should be a unique reflection of you.

6. Excluding Your Future Child

Not mentioning your future child is also a big adoptive family profile mistake. It doesn't matter that you haven't met your child yet, it's important to talk about things you want to do with your child, values you plan on instilling, and ways you will include your future child into your existing traditions and everyday life.

7. Writing from Only One Perspective

When hopeful adoptive couples write their adoptive family profile, a big mistake is writing it from only one perspective. Strive for an equal voice in your profile. Talk through all parts of the profile, take turns writing different sections, and/or write it together and use “we” throughout.