Foster Child Adoption

Foster children present a very unique situation for prospective parents. Foster children have either been given up by their parents or placed in the system by a government agency for one reason or another.

Foster children often move from parents to parents throughout their lives due to behavioral or other issues such as not fitting in with the adoptive parents lifestyle.

To consider adopting a foster child you really need to know what is in store beforehand.
Before considering foster child adoption, you have to take a hard look at yourself and what you expect out of a child as well as visit an agency that handles adoptions of this type.

They will usually sit down and explain the entire process to you. The entire thing is very long and it will be a while before a child comes to your house.
The agency will have files on a number of children you can look over. Usually the stories that accompany the children are sad, especially for older children.

There is often a history of behavioral, emotional, or mental problems. This could be due to illnesses or abuse.
The age of the foster child is very important as well. Many foster children grow older and haven’t been placed so it can be hard or even impossible for them to accept you as a true parent.
Trust is much harder to gain in an older child than it is with a newborn or toddler.

The benefits of foster child adoption are many. You get to provide a stable life for a child and develop a very special relationship that might reach parent-child stage over time. This can be one of the most rewarding things in the world. Read more...

Putting Your Child Up For Adoption

Even considering putting your child up for adoption can be one of the most difficult things a parent will ever have to do in their lives.

The decision, however, is a gesture of love because you know you are doing what is the best for that child and their future.

There are many ways to put your child up for adoption and also many different reasons this might be a good option or the only option.

Sometimes, a parent or parents might know from the start that adoption is the best way to go. This can be due to many different factors.

The parent or parents might be very young, they might know they can’t handle a child due to emotional or mental issues, or they might not be able to support a child financially.

All of these or a combination of them can lead to a decision to put a child up for adoption.

There are a couple common types of adoption available if you are in this situation.

There is the closed adoption where you give your child to an agency that later places the child. This type doesn’t allow you to give any input whatsoever. The agency will make the choice they feel is best.

Open adoption might allow you to choose who the adopted parents will be and have visits or other contact available throughout the years.

Before you decide what type of adoption is the best for you, it’s always a good idea to consult an adoption attorney.

Each country and state have different laws regarding adoption and it’s a good idea to get familiar with them before you do anything at all. Read more...

Typical Open Adoption

A typical open adoption means that the biological parents are permitted to have some type of contact with the adopted child.
This can be accomplished many different ways. By phone is the easiest way but sometimes e-mail, letters, or even personal visits might be an option.

This contact doesn’t always mean both sets of parents will ever meet each other in person. Many times the adoption agency or other organization will receive pictures and updates from the adoptive parents and forward them to the biological parents.

Obviously, having the adoptive parents spend time with the biological parents might be an uncomfortable ordeal for everyone.
Before the adoption takes place, all types of contact as well as specific dates for visits or phone calls are arranged.

This schedule and set of rules is very important to the biological parents who have agreed to the open adoption. By not getting pictures when expected or missing phone calls, it can be very emotionally stressful.

By using the adoption agency as a middle man, it saves a lot of emotional stress for everyone involved. The agency acts as a mediator so the adoptive parents don’t have to deal with the biological parents directly.

Open adoptions could be as little as a name exchange before adoption up to full contact by the biological family so you need to make sure everyone agrees on the terms beforehand.
It is much easier for adoptive parents to really feel the child is there own if there is minimal interference from the biological parents but sometimes it just isn’t an option.
Read more...

Open Adoption With Biological Family Contact

Open adoption is when a child gets adopted but the biological parents are still allowed to have a relationship with the child.

Depending on the agreement, extended family may be permitted to be involved as well. This means the child’s biological aunts, uncles, grandparents and any other relatives could be part of the child’s life.

This sounds appealing to many people but has many hardships associated with it. It can be a wonderful thing if everything goes smoothly but people tend to disagree on things by nature and even more so when it involves the raising of a child.

The most obvious difficulty arises with the adoptive parents having to see the biological family members once in a while.

The biological family members might give input on how to raise the child and other advice that may be unwanted. This can lead to conflicts and emotional turmoil for everyone involved including the child.

The best way to ensure an open adoption runs smoothly is to set up a strict set of rules and make sure everyone adheres to them at all times.

Schedules must be kept and everything has to be explained fully to the child when they are old enough to understand the situation. This contract is usually set up far in advance.

An open adoption does have the benefit of providing a gigantic support system for the child that will last a lifetime. As long as both parties get along, they can interact together once in a while and do all kinds of fun stuff together.

This will instill a great sense of worth in the child as so many people love them and take care of them but can be confusing at times. This type of open adoption isn’t very common because most adoptive parents want a child to themselves. Read more...

Is Adoption Right For You?

How can you tell if adoption is right for you? This can be one of the hardest questions to answer.

Adoption is one of the most difficult and life changing events you will ever face. This child is going to be a part of you for the rest of your life.

If you just feel like you need something to take care of, consider a puppy. A child is a huge responsibility and you will need to face all the good times and the bad times with no regrets.

An obvious benefit of adoption is that not only do you gain a new member of your family, you also give a family to a child without one.

This is a great thing to do for another human being. People choose to adopt for many reasons. Maybe the woman doesn’t want to carry a baby for 9 months, maybe there is an infertility issue or maybe you just want to reach out and help make the world a little bit better. Only you know the reason you want to adopt a child.

Before even considering adoption you need to look inside yourself. Do you have the patience to handle a child?

Children are not easy to tolerate all the time. If you’ve ever seen that parent in the store with the child running around misbehaving, you have a tiny glimpse into parenthood.

Children don’t always do what you want or grow up to be who you want them to be. They will grow up to be themselves instead.

Before adopting, make sure you have the parenting skills, finances, and above all, the time and love to give the child a wonderful environment where they can grow up and thrive in. Read more...

Infertility And Adoption

For many couples, adoption might be the only option to have a child. Sometimes people go many years trying to conceive only to find out there is some medical issue that is stopping them.

This could be due to either the man or the woman having reproductive problems. This can be devastating to couples that really want to have a child.

Luckily, adoption is a great alternative and is beneficial to two parties. The adoptive parents finally get the child they have always wanted and the child gets a great set of parents that will love and take care of them.

There are many different types of adoption that can be considered. Open adoption allows the biological parents and sometimes extended family members some level of contact.

Closed adoption keeps the biological parents secret so there is little chance of ever meeting them. There are also many different levels of open adoption.

Some open adoptions are sending pictures once in a while to a third party and some allow visitation. This is something to consider but you should do whatever makes you the most comfortable.

Adopting a child from overseas allows a child from a less fortunate country get a much better life but can have its difficulties.

If the child is of a different race than yours, there might be some confusion and a lot of explaining as the child gets older.

If you do find out you or your spouse is infertile, adoption remains one of the best options out there. If you know in your heart you would make a great parent, that is a gift that should definitely not go to waste. Read more...

Adoption

In basic terms, adoption is when a child’s custody is given to a person or two people that aren’t the biological parents of that child.

Adoption permanently negates the biological parent or parents from any responsibility of that child for the rest of its life. The person or people that adopted the child gain full custodial rights and there isn’t really a difference between biological and adoptive parents in the eyes of the law.

There are many different types of adoption that include open adoption, semi-open adoption, and closed adoption.

An open adoption is when custody is given to non-biological parents but the biological parents are entitled to visits, letters, or other forms of contact.

The arrangements vary and can be very lenient or restrictive depending on the situation. A semi-open adoption gives the biological parents a chance to meet the adoptive parents a few times.

This lets them have the option of choosing an open or closed adoption at a later date. A closed adoption only gives the adoptive parents medical records but not much else. Little is ever known about the biological parents. This can be due to governmental agencies placing the children due to an unhealthy environment or abuse.

Many issues can contribute to a child being put up for adoption. Some of the most common issues are when a mother knows she cannot take care of her child or when a child is removed from a parents home by a governmental agency involved in social services.

This is generally a good thing for the child as they are guaranteed to receive the treatment and care that they deserve but circumstances vary greatly with each individual case. Natural disasters or military actions can also put children in situations where adoption is an option. Read more...