7. My family thinks I am crazy to even consider it.

As a parent, you will be making decisions that your extended family is not going to like. YOU are the parent. It is your JOB to make decisions that are in the best interest of your child.

My child attends a Montessori school. He is a kinesthetic learner, which means that he learns best by using his entire body. He does not learn well if you tell him something. He sometimes picks things up by seeing them, but for something to really stick, he needs to DO it. I did a lot of research into the best type of schooling for kinesthetic learners, and I concluded that the Montessori method was the best method of schooling for him. This decision was not popular with some of my relatives. Montessori is different than traditional school. It’s not “the way we have always done it.” So what? I did the research, and I concluded that this was the best decision for my child. I am the parent. My extended family does not get a vote on the matter.

SPONSOR

inCalifornia Want to adopt? Pregnant? click here

Your family will probably tell you that they are just trying to protect you from heartache, and this is probably their motivation. However, they are not likely to be as educated as you are about these matters. How much research has your family done to determine the pros and cons of closed, semi-open, and open adoptions? If the answer is “none,” then don’t lean too heavily on their opinions. Unfortunately, families have a tendency to band together around a core belief and, because they all agree, nobody in the family questions the belief. Don’t let this happen to you. Do your homework and then make the best decision for your nuclear family, regardless of what your extended family thinks.