Anyone have any confusion with the forms to get the adoption process started?

Question

DH and I were giving a whole folder of information and forms to fill out to get everything rolling, but I am confused about the questionair about wanting to be adoptive parents of races different from your own. I can't make any since of it, It is basicly the same question worded many different ways and it is bit confusing. My Dh and I really want a human baby no matter what color his/her skin or race is, has anyone else run into this problem?

Answer 1

You are illiterate, you cannot spell or write in English.

Answer 2

Contact your local Dept. of Social Services... they should be able to help you figure the forms out or at least point you in the right direction. I know how difficult it can be to get the process started, but it will be worth it in the end. Good luck.

Answer 3

When I got our homestudy packet in the mail, I was so excited to get started.  Then I opened it up and started looking through everything we had to do.  It all seemed confusing and daunting.  I truly almost started crying.  But, take it one document, one question at a time, and it gets done.  I would do everything you can do without help, then call your social worker and ask the questions you have.

Answer 4

Have you been with any friends and their children?  If so, see if those people would give you a reference?  How about kids at church?

About the skin color, just let them know that you have absolutely no preference about the skin color of the child.  Dh & I are as white as you can be & we have two bio sons who are also white,  foster daughter who is white and two adopted daughters who have a beautiful olive complexion.  It made no difference to us what color their skin was.  Sometimes the girls bring it up but we just try to instill a sense of pride in how they look and where they are originally from.

People notice that the girls are different & we get questions while we're out & about.  We asked the girls (they're school age) how they wanted us to handle it (we could answer, they could answer or we could sidestep the question with, "why do you ask?"...they usually choose to let us answer & are proud of being adopted).

Let the agency know that you understand that society may have issues or questions about a difference in skin color...and the child may have issues or questions, but you'll do all in your power to protect the child from any discrimination and you'll work hard to instill a sense of pride and self worth in the child about who he/she is.  

I think the questions are designed to get you thinking about how you might handle it, whether or not you can handle it and how healthy your attitude is about it.

We also get the girls around folks who look like them as often as possible (we know several people who are from their birth country & some others from the same region...plus we belong to a multi-cultural adoptive family group).

Answer 5

Contact your department of social services, the Organization your are trying to get on a prospective parents list and maybe even a family law attorney.

We have been through this process and basically adoption agencies "slice and dice" the questions many ways to weed out applicants.  My suggestion is to include an attachment to their required forms , in the form of a binder with your pictures, a description of yourselves and a heartfelt written account of why you want to be adoptive parents and why you would be the best family for a child that becomes available.