Is there a way someone can help you prepare for adoption?

Question

I am a 22 year old married female. We are interested in adopting a child (between 6months and 6 years old) in a few more years (once I complete school and settled) We currently stay in GA and maybe looking to relocate to CA around the same time. Is there some way we could talk to someone or have contact with an agency that could walk us through the steps so that when we are ready we will have all our I's dotted and T's crossed? I am taking in consideration the possible time period it could take for us to get a child. Or is this something we should wait on till we are ready?

Answer 1

Homestudies expire, so you should wait until you are ready before doing anything official. In the meantime I suggest researching all facets of adoption (especially adoptee and first mother experiences), and take a good look at the negative side too. Too many people avoid examining the big picture.

If you know the concerns and issues of everyone involved, and you know the possible unethical practices that go on, you will be much more likely to not contribute to them.

I found adoption really tested my personal values. It would have been easy to only look after my wants and needs and handwave away those of my child and his first family, because much of the adoption industry encourages it....but the more I read the more I saw just how easily people can be trampled on and neglected, and it made me rethink things in a whole new direction.

Answer 2

Dept. of Human Services teaches courses on what to expect from adopting kids.  Also, they have some of the legal steps to adopt.

Internet research prepared me for most of what I needed to adopt (I did a private adoption of a newborn).

Good luck, and it's great now that your thinking ahead, however, either adopt before you move to California, or adopt after you are there.  There is often a waiting period after you move to adopt.

Answer 3

Dotting i's and crossing t's is nice but as tickle'd blue said, you should be more concerned with the impacts of adoption on the future CHILD instead of how hard the process will be for YOU.

Losing your mother, being abandoned, being separated from your family, it all SUCKS.  Going to live with a new family does NOT make it all go away.  You need to realize that and prepare yourself for all the pain and issues that adoptees feel.  

Raising someone else's child is not the same as raising your own, even if you start out with a newborn.

Answer 4

right now, you should be looking into books and educational materials for raising an adoptive child....including books that present the child's point of view and some of the negative aspects of adoption. Once you are ready to adopt, your case worker will help you through each and every step....you can't do anything beforehand except work on making your marriage the best it can be and getting your finances in order. Everything else really needs to follow adoption procedure....which they will walk you through when you are ready.

Answer 5

www.adoptuskids.org has answers to how to get prepared for adoption. You should also start talking with a caseworker so that you will be able to keep on top of any changes in policies and procedures.