Whether it’s always been a lifelong dream, or if it’s a new idea that you’ve only just begun to pursue, the adoption process can be overwhelming. As you have probably already realized, there are several options, and none of them is as easy as you may have hoped.
In an effort to make things a little simpler, one resource is particularly useful: Creating a Family. Creating a Family is a national infertility and adoption nonprofit dedicated to educating prospective adoptive parents on how to go about adopting an infant or child. On their site, they cover everything from foster care adoption to private domestic adoption to international adoption.
Creating a Family provides a basic chart to help you make that initial decision about what kind of adoption you would like to pursue. Budget, travel, age and health are all important factors for you to consider, and every adoption situation is different. That’s part of the reason why the process is so complicated.
The chart helps you consider things like these:
- How long do you want to wait for a child?
- How much do you expect to know about the health of the birth mother?
- Would you be able to travel outside of the U.S.?
- Are you open to adopting an older child or a sibling group?
- Are you prepared to adopt a child of another race, or one with special needs?
Many prospective birth parents’ options are limited by some of the most basic factors such as their age, marital status, and budget. Others find that once they become more educated on the wide range of possibilities for adoption, they are more open to the idea of adopting a sibling group or an older child. Again, all situations are different.
Family lawyers specialize in helping you through these complicated decision trees. They can tell you what to expect, how to navigate the system and how to ensure a successful adoptive placement. They want nothing more than to help you bring your child home.
