What do birth fathers want?  Are their children important to them? Do they want to stay in contact with their birth children after they make a decision to place them for adoption? Do they think about their birth children after they've been adopted?

These questions are often assumed to be "nothing, no, no, and no."  But where is this information coming from? There are a lot of stereotypes floating around about birth fathers and most commonly, how minimally they participate in an adoption plan with the underlying presumption that they don't care much about these children. These are just that...stereotypes....I think. At least in my practice, I've had the opportunity to work with many involved, caring birth fathers who definitely want to actively partake in the adoption plan and furthermore, to have ongoing contact, at some level, with their children. For some, it may be an annual picture, for others, it may include an occasional visit, and still for others, it could be a full blown open adoption where the birth fathers have frequent contact with their children. Adoption has come a long way baby! We now know the importance of openness between adoptive and birth families. We know about the potential destructiveness of secrets and missing information about who we are. 

So, the timing couldn't be better for CBC's show today on the Current. Check out:
The Boy with The Past:
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2012/02/09/the-boy-with-the-past-documentary/   

Let's change those stereotypes!