1. Be as authentic as you can be.

In other words, your mom’s advice is still golden: be yourself. Perhaps you are representing the best version of yourself but shoot for that picture to be recognizable in your adoptive parent profile book.

Your adoptive parent profile book should give the expectant woman (and her partner or family) an idea of who you are and what type of parent you hope to be. Keep your language realistic when speaking of how you want to parent this child.

2. Write your profile as if you are talking with a friend.

Use informal language without being too familiar or casual. Try reading the content out loud to hear how you sound. If a $1 word works, don’t use a $10 word.

3. Try not to sound desperate.

We know this is an awkward project. And you might very well be feeling a little desperate. It’s a challenging journey, and you have the right to struggle with these feelings. But your parent profile is not the place to process those emotions.

4. Choose candid and action shots.

Whenever it’s possible, use “real life” pictures in your adoptive parent profile book. Too many posed or staged photographs can make you appear stiff or inauthentic.

5. Use captions for your pictures.

Your captions should be as descriptive as possible. You are looking for words that will capture the feelings, not just the actions in the photos. For example, when you share a picture of Rob wrestling with the nephews, say, “Here is Rob playing his favorite role – Uncle Robby.”

6. Don’t show too much.

In your vacation scenes, please avoid pictures that show too much skin. For example, photos of bikinis and Speedos don’t necessarily give “parent vibes” to an anxious, expectant woman. Plus, a woman carrying 30+ pounds of baby weight might feel turned off by them.