Open adoption birth parents often wonder how to incorporate traditions into the relationship they share with their child. Getting pictures taken every year is a common one. For those that like to think outside of the box and perhaps head down slightly creative paths, art projects of some sort are always a good way to go. One idea recently came to me that I thought I should pass on to others.

The idea is to take both your hand and your child's hand and either "stamp" it or trace it onto a piece of paper. This can be done as early as birth, at the hospital. (As newborns are prone to putting their hands in their mouths, be sure to either trace your baby's hand or use a non-toxic ink, completely washing it off afterwards.) Trace or stamp your child's hand onto the piece of paper of your choosing and do the same with yours. You can place them side by side, or, if you're tracing, you can trace your hand around that of your child. (For the extra creative, if you're stamping, you could first stamp your own in a darker colored ink and then, after it dries, stamp your child's in a lighter colored ink, on top of your own hand print.)

The point of this project is to continue it through the years. As the hands of your child grow and change through the years, you will have a visible and tangible record of that change. As your child gets older, he/she can be more involved in the process, picking the color of ink to be used, the paper and what to write above or below each hand print.

As for what to do with the hand prints afterwards, there are a number of viable options. You could frame the current year's artwork, replacing it year after year by putting the new hand prints on the top of the frame. You could make a scrapbook of just the hand prints so that they can be flipped through with ease. Another variation is to always make two copies of the year's artwork and to give the other to your child (framed or in a scrapbook like your own) so that you can both admire the "handy" work over the year.

You can decorate the paper as you wish, with cute stickers or quotes. An appropriate quote for this project would be:

Mother's hold their children's hands for just a little while;
their hearts, forever.

As the years pass, this would be a lovely keepsake for any mother and child.

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For more on relationships with your child, read:

1. The Things They Say.

2. Ideas for Vacationing Without Your Placed Child.

3. Triad Members Chime In On Addressing Loss.

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Photo Credit: ©Michael Bretherton.