Has anyone adopted from the US? Every time I turn around someone is adopting internationally.....?

Question

Why is it everyone adopts internationally when there are so many kids in the US who need families? I don't understand.

Answer 1

My family I served as a foster family to a baby boy (US resident) a couple of years ago.  He and his biological half brother have both been adopted by the same family, and it's a great situation.  There's definitely the whole fear about a mother wanting her child again, but today there are a lot of open adoptions, where the biological mother does know her child.  As a result, often the bio mums feel better about the set-up, and it works out fine.

Answer 2

Because in the US the adopted kid can be reclaimed by the biological parents. Think about rasining a child for years and then the child has to go back to the biological parents.

Answer 3

I think some people are threatened by the open-adoption trend, which is in the best interests of the child and want to ensure that any contact is cut off completely (never in the best interest of the child)

People can be selfish like that I guess.  And some people have a savior complex and think their doing something saintly by 'saving a child' and expect the child whose lost their entire family and heritage to be eternally grateful for that loss!  I don't understand either

Answer 4

Our child came from a wonderful foster home filled with love, support, and encouragement.

I worked in a Russian orphanage a few years back. The children there were housed in a delapidated building near a busy interstate. There were 300 kids of all ages and sexes and abilities. They slept in 10-12 person rooms and had 2 meals per day. their showers--when there was water--were freezing cold and looked and smelled of mildew and something dying. The children received no formal or informal education after the 2nd grade. They received 3 months worth of 'living' training when they were about to be booted out of the orphanage at 16 yrs old. The 300 children were 'cared for' by one older lady...who didn't seem to care at all. Grown men would walk through the orphanage frequently and talk with girls they didn't know...offering vodka and cigarettes. If I could have afforded to, I would have adopted every single one of those children...to give them some sort of fighting chance....the only problem: within a 1 mile area surrounding that orphanage, were 4 other orphanages....with even more children than ours had. I hope that these are the reasons people adopt internationally. Our system in comparision is a wonderful thing...even though we still need improvements of our own.

Answer 5

Yes people do adopt from the US my aunt has adopted three children infants and is still doing foster care.  People do need to adopt from here so that our children have a permanent home and a good chance at life.

Answer 6

it gets alot of publicity thats why it seems like that.

Answer 7

Good question.................

I adopted a buitiful little boy born in the US!

Answer 8

There are so many reasons and many stereotypes.

One reason is time.  If you are looking at private adoption of a white infant in the US...you are going to be waiting for a long time and it will cost the same as an international adoption.  International adoption will be baby (not a newborn) and will occur more quickly.  However, most people resist foster/care adoption (which is FREE) because of the stereotype  of foster kids having a lot of emotional baggage.  The reality is that international adopted children also have abandonment and neglect issues.  RAD (reactive attachment disorder) is common.

If you are contemplating adoption, go to your county for an orientation meeting.  The will discuss the issues children in foster care face.

Answer 9

I have adopted 5 newborn babies from my state of PA in the past 12 years. Two were foster/adoptions and three were private infant adoptions. We did nothave any problems with birth parents or for that matter no problems at all. You hear of all the horror stories about adoption, but I did not live it. I have only good things to say about my agency and the workers.

Answer 10

I adopted my daughter at birth through a private domestic adoption. She is healthy and perfect in every way. We considered fost/adopt and went to an informational seminar. What we were told is that there are few small children (under 5) available for adoption, and the wait would be long. Also children in  foster care (the ones who really need homes) have suffered abuse &/or neglect which is how they ended up available for adoption.  I agree these kids need homes, but this is a lot to ask someone to take on.

There are certainly people who take on the responsibility and joy of raising kids from  the foster care system, but unfortunately there aren't as many of these people as needed.

Answer 11

My husband and I just adopted a 5 yr old little girl from CPS in Texas.  We feel the same way that you do.  It is sad how many kids are in the foster care system until they age out because people don't want to adopt from here.  It was only 3 months after our approval that we got our little girl, so it is not a longer process.  The parents rights are legally terminated, and if you do a closed asoption, they will never know who adopted their child.  I can't imagine adopting any other way.  Also, at least in Texas, adopting through CPS does not cost any money.

Answer 12

Each family making a plan for adoption is considering many factors.  My husband and I decided after much research that international adoption was the best choice for our family at this time.

It is frustrating at times to hear people be critical of our decision to adopt abroad when there are so many children here.  

Please remember that most people go into this long, difficult and expensive (yes, even domestically) process with the idea of making the best choice for their own family.  

Every child deserves a loving family no matter where they were born.

Answer 13

I have heard it is much easier and faster to adopt from other countries...

Answer 14

First of all, more people adopt domestically than internationally.  The publicity of international adoption makes it seem to you that it is more popular.  The main reason people adopt internationally is because the process to adopt an infant is more predictable than domestically.  There are a lot of children available for adoption in the U.S., but there are not a lot of infants available for adoption in the U.S., and many adoptive parents are seeking to adopt infants.

Answer 15

Mainly because people don't want the chance of the birth mother coming back into the picture years down the road and want the baby back. Also, it's easier to get infants internationally than here in the U.S. and most people want babies, not young children.

Answer 16

There are different routes to adoption (US domestic, foster care, international adoption)  Every kind of adoption has its benefits and drawbacks and a responsible perspective adoptive parent looks at every option before choosing what's best for their family.  Regardless of the route of adoption, the point is that a child who needs a home, finds a home.  I feel this is something that every child deserves, whether they are born in the US or not.

Answer 17

Yes, people adopt from the U.S. all the time. Some adoptions are through agencies and others are through foster care. That's how I adopted my son. After spending quite some time on this board and having my eyes opened W I D E, I wish more people would look into foster to adopt in this country. There is nothing wrong with helping an orphan in another country as long as that child truly IS an orphan and there are no family members to take care of him or her.

Answer 18

I have and it took SEVEN years to finalize the adoption in PA.

DD is a relatives child and the father disappeared on and off during a five year period. She was never a foster child.

We are looking to adopt a school aged child next and because of our personal experience we are considering international adoption.