Open adoption is when a child gets adopted but the biological parents are still allowed to have a relationship with the child.
Depending on the agreement, extended family may be permitted to be involved as well. This means the childs biological aunts, uncles, grandparents and any other relatives could be part of the childs life.
This sounds appealing to many people but has many hardships associated with it. It can be a wonderful thing if everything goes smoothly but people tend to disagree on things by nature and even more so when it involves the raising of a child.
The most obvious difficulty arises with the adoptive parents having to see the biological family members once in a while.
The biological family members might give input on how to raise the child and other advice that may be unwanted. This can lead to conflicts and emotional turmoil for everyone involved including the child.
The best way to ensure an open adoption runs smoothly is to set up a strict set of rules and make sure everyone adheres to them at all times.
Schedules must be kept and everything has to be explained fully to the child when they are old enough to...