Adoption Under One Roof

Last week, MSN.com ran an interesting article entitled Perfectionists at risk for postpartum blues. According to that article, “New mothers who think they should be perfect parents might be at risk for postpartum depression.” That got me thinking about whether perfectionism might tie into suffering from post-adoption depression (PAD).

I did a search of our website on post-adoption depression, and I was shocked to discover that I have not blogged about this topic. I, myself, suffered from it, and I just assumed that I must have covered it at some point. Wrong! I definitely felt the pressure to be the “perfect” adoptive parent, so it would not surprise me to learn that perfectionism does, in fact, tie into experiencing post-adoption depression.

I really did feel pressured to be a “perfect” mother. It started with the home study (if not before), when I had to “prove” to a “complete stranger” that I was “good enough” to adopt a child. On this side of the adoption, I understand the need and purpose for a home study. However, when I went through it, I felt judged and that I had to prove how “perfect” I would be as a parent.