How to Scrapbook Your Child's Adoption
Lisa Copen
January 15, 2008
Scrapbooking your child's adoption story is a wonderful way to get it down in a book for him or her to be able to share with you for years to come. As a busy mom, however, too often our good intentions turn into an overflowing box of memory items that get stuck in the closet, waiting for the day when we can sit down an concentrate without a little voice interrupting our thoughts. We so want to do the perfect album, it often becomes a task larger than we can take on.
Don't delay doing your scrapbook baby album any more. It's important you get it done which they are your and not as a going away gift when they move out.
Here are some tips to help you in scrapbooking your child's adoption album:
1] Journal about all your memories. If you feel exhausted at night and too tired to write then just start tape-recording them to use later. Though you think you'll remember it all, soon new memories will overlap some of those early precious ones. So take the time to write down both important and unimportant details.
2] Share what you know that is appropriate for little ears. Maybe you were able to spend time with your child's birth mother, or maybe you don't have any information about her at all. Share what you know, but make sure that it is some something you will feel reading to your 5-year-old. If your child's birth mom has 6 children and kept the rest of them, or your child was the result of an abusive environment, don't write this down!
3] Layout the photos you want to use. You don't have to use all of them, just the ones that are most important. Are you arranging the book chronologically? Make sure everything is in order.
4] Think about what size of album to you'd like. They are typically 8" x 8", 12" x 12" or 8.5" x 11". The 8" x 8" albums are an advantageous size for because little hands can easily hold the book and flip through the pages.
5] Find whatever supplies you'd like to use. When I was unable to find more than a couple of stickers that mentioned adoption I designed my own 8" x 8" overlays. Overlays are an easy way to make your book look professionally done, crisp and clean (no glue or tape needed) and anyone can use them.
6] Keep it simple and don't be tempted to put every thought you have in the book. Consider your child's attention span too. Add more pages later as your child asks questions and you want to answer them in the book (what kind of car did my birth mom drive?) You may also want other things represented, such as your child's country (or even city) or birth.
7] Use poems or quotes to fill in pages. If you lack information or are just feeling overwhelmed by writing your thoughts down, use a few adoption quotes. Just be sure to not rely on them completely. Poetry is nice, but your own thoughts will mean the most to your child.
8] Use child-friendly language. For example, don't ever write, "Your birth mom loved you so much that she gave you away." This could scare your child into believing that pretty soon you will love him too much and give you away too. Keep the wording simple: "Miss Clara wanted you to have both a mommy and a daddy and she knew that we were really excited to be your parents."
Too often we get caught up in creating a masterpiece of a baby album that will include every bath, haircut, smile and tear. Instead, focus on just the adoption story for this small book and put a lot of the baby or family pages in other books. The sooner it's ready for your child, the more time of their childhood they will reflect on it.
Don't delay doing your scrapbook baby album any more. It's important you get it done which they are your and not as a going away gift when they move out.
Here are some tips to help you in scrapbooking your child's adoption album:
1] Journal about all your memories. If you feel exhausted at night and too tired to write then just start tape-recording them to use later. Though you think you'll remember it all, soon new memories will overlap some of those early precious ones. So take the time to write down both important and unimportant details.
2] Share what you know that is appropriate for little ears. Maybe you were able to spend time with your child's birth mother, or maybe you don't have any information about her at all. Share what you know, but make sure that it is some something you will feel reading to your 5-year-old. If your child's birth mom has 6 children and kept the rest of them, or your child was the result of an abusive environment, don't write this down!
3] Layout the photos you want to use. You don't have to use all of them, just the ones that are most important. Are you arranging the book chronologically? Make sure everything is in order.
4] Think about what size of album to you'd like. They are typically 8" x 8", 12" x 12" or 8.5" x 11". The 8" x 8" albums are an advantageous size for because little hands can easily hold the book and flip through the pages.
5] Find whatever supplies you'd like to use. When I was unable to find more than a couple of stickers that mentioned adoption I designed my own 8" x 8" overlays. Overlays are an easy way to make your book look professionally done, crisp and clean (no glue or tape needed) and anyone can use them.
6] Keep it simple and don't be tempted to put every thought you have in the book. Consider your child's attention span too. Add more pages later as your child asks questions and you want to answer them in the book (what kind of car did my birth mom drive?) You may also want other things represented, such as your child's country (or even city) or birth.
7] Use poems or quotes to fill in pages. If you lack information or are just feeling overwhelmed by writing your thoughts down, use a few adoption quotes. Just be sure to not rely on them completely. Poetry is nice, but your own thoughts will mean the most to your child.
8] Use child-friendly language. For example, don't ever write, "Your birth mom loved you so much that she gave you away." This could scare your child into believing that pretty soon you will love him too much and give you away too. Keep the wording simple: "Miss Clara wanted you to have both a mommy and a daddy and she knew that we were really excited to be your parents."
Too often we get caught up in creating a masterpiece of a baby album that will include every bath, haircut, smile and tear. Instead, focus on just the adoption story for this small book and put a lot of the baby or family pages in other books. The sooner it's ready for your child, the more time of their childhood they will reflect on it.
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