Adoption Profile Tips: The One Thing You Should Never Say In Your Profile

A simple, thoughtful piece of advice that can make a world of difference to expectant moms.

During our adoption process, our case worker shared this important piece of advice about writing profiles:

If you write about your pets, be sure you refer to them as “rescued,” not “adopted.”

I was absolutely guilty of calling our dog Wally “adopted” in the first draft of our profile. Our case worker explained that while many people wouldn’t give the wording a second thought, some expectant families, especially those who are not animal lovers, could find it insulting. Adopting a dog is not the same as adopting a child, and an expectant mother might find it upsetting if you compare her unborn baby to your pet.

It’s such a simple, thoughtful piece of advice that can make a world of difference to expectant moms.

You can read our full profile here.

Do you have any advice to share on writing adoption profiles? We’d love to hear from you!

Plus, How to Write an Adoption Profile: According to a Birth Family.

Originally published October 2018.

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Adoption Profiles

Jessica Butler

Jessica Butler is the co-founder of Raise, stepmother of two, and adoptive mother of one. Prior to Raise, she was a writer on USA’s "In Plain Sight" and TNT’s "The Last Ship." She and her husband, writer/producer Warren Bell, co-created the Nick at Nite series "Instant Mom," based on her life as a stepmother. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and six-year-old son, Levon.