How to adopt kid?

Question

How to adopt kid?

Answer 1

Can you be more specific?  Are you saying you know a child that needs a good home and you want to adopt that child?  Are you saying you want to adopt a child and don't know where to go?

If you want to adopt a child that you know, see an attorney, one that specializes in adoption.  You'll need to file court papers.  You'll need to have some kind of "home study" done.  The exact requirements vary from state to state.

If you want to adopt a child, you have a couple of options.  You can go through an attorney, but I don't recommend this.  With this route, often times, the birth mother doesn't get proper support and all too often, the attorney's only concern is getting the paperwork in and they tend to make a mess of everything else.  Most adoptions these days are "open" adoptions (where you have a relationship with birth mother maybe even birth father).  I know this sounds really scary, but the more you read about it, the more you come to understand that this is what is best for your child.  Kids fill in blanks with worst case scenarios (e.g. "birth mom placed me for adoption because there was something wrong with me", etc.).  You want someone who will follow through with support groups, counciling, etc. for the birth mother.  If she feels burned or used, contact with her will not be positive.

Check into adoption agencies in your area.  They are not all the same.  Ask questions.  Seek out birth mothers who have gone to these adoption agencies and ask them about their experiences.  Seek out people who have adopted from various agencies and ask them about their experiences.

If you live in Nebraska, I can highly recommend the Nebrask Children's Home Society http://www.nchs.org/ (though they are only licensed in Nebraska, so if you live elsewhere, you will need to find another agency).

If you are looking at going overseas, I was impressed by America World Adoption http://www.awaa.org/