How do you adopt a child?

Question

I'm writing a story about an adopted family and I was wondering what do you have to do to adopt a child.

Answer 1

I remember very clearly the day we adopted my brother (I was adopted too, but I was 6 when Kris was adopted & remember it much more clearly). I asked Kris about sharing this, and he encouraged me to do so & asked that I not change his name.

Kris was relenquished by his birthmother at birth, but he was born with a lot of health problems so he had to stay at the hospital for sick kids for the first year of his life. I remember the adoption worker coming by and there would be meetings in the kitchen, I remember being shown a picture of Kris & being told that as soon as the doctors said it was ok he would be able to come home with us for good.

I had to move rooms, and pick out some toys for Kris to help welcome him home & make him feel better. I was told that he would be very sad because he didn't know us.

I remember leaving school early that day so that we could go to toronto & pick him up to bring him home. I remember telling my teacher that I was going to get my new little brother, much the same as I imagine any other child that age tells a teacher about the birth of their new sibling.

When we arrived in toronto, we had to sit in an office for hours (or at least what seemed like hours), and then we went back to our hotel room, where I finally got to meet him.

I remember to me Kris looked funny, he was very dark skinned (he's indian, not first nations) and he had these big beautiful brown eyes that seemed to engulf his entire face. My first impression was that he was very sad, those big brown eyes were always seeming to be welled up with tears. It seemed like for the first few months all he did was cry. I don't know if it was a result of being plunked with these strangers, his medical conditions, or just because he was still a baby.

Today Kris is just a normal guy. He's 27, still a bachelor, his health problems have continued to give him some problems, but all round he's a pretty cool guy to sit & have a beer with. Hope that helps

Answer 2

Foster Care

Internationally

Domestic Infant

Relative or Kinship

Step Parent

There are several Paths to Adopting.

In the end HOW to make it legal is with an Attorney who writes a Petition to Adopt and a Judge who confirms the adoption by legally amending the original birth certificate to show the Adoptive parents information at the time the child was born.

With each path to adoption there are steps, and details about the specific adoption process...

Some people adopt family members...

Some unrealted children

Some from other nations

Some from the children in foster care...

As with most Family Structures there are many ways to build a family.

What **Part** will adoption play in the story you are writing... Is the story about the Parents, the child or the whole family? Is the story About Adoption or is Adoption just a minor point...?

To be an Authentic Writer it is best to Really Research the issues you don't know personally or not use that as a part of your writing otherwise the written story will ring Untrue...

It looks like you have a good start to research so be sure to examine you authority to write about the subject of adoption and what part it actually plays in the story.

Many people in the adoption world find it bothersome that adoption is mentioned if it is an irrelevent matter... Such as news articles that Mention ..."and the adopted daughter"

If the article wasn't about adoption then why would the child need to be identified as adopted?  

Of course, no matter what you write there will be people who support your words and people who do not...so, just stay true to well-thought out words and understand the topic and what role it plays in the overall meaning of the story....

A News Story about a family stuck in the wilderness due to a snow storm would not need to point out that a child in the family was adopted...the adoption has little to do with the fact the family was stuck in the wilderness and adds nothing to the outcome of the story.

Adoption is interesting and it can add to a story but, using adoption only to make a story more interesting or to add a few more words to the story is not a positive way to build a plot....

If it needs to be added to explain how a person became a parent then It wouldn't be a huge part of the story...

Answer 3

It depends on what method of adoption you are using.  You can go through a private agency or the state.  You can foster to adopt or just adopt, although just adopting is harder.  That's a really loaded question.

If you go through the state you have to take classes.  After the classes and homework you have to complete a home study with a worker.  After your home study is approved and all of the paperwork is complete then you wait for your first placement, or if you are just licensed to adopt, you wait for a phone call that they have found a child that matches the criteria you specify.  Then, your home study is submitted to be considered.  If your family is chosen, then the child comes to live with you for six months before you consummate.  This, of course, is under the best of circumstances.....

Answer 4

Well plenty of patience and a good heart and plenty of love Do hope you have sucesses in writing your book.

Have you ever read any of Torey Haydens books they are just good reads as are David Pfziers books

Well a whole lot of hard work to Adopt a child.Have you been to social services or a private agencey.