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Adoptive Family General

12 Recommended Readings When You're Waiting through the Holidays

The holidays are upon us, which means it’s almost time for family, festivities, and fun! But, when you’re waiting to adopt, trying to get through the season can be exhausting. If you’ve tried just about everything to get your mind off of the wait, and you’re still looking for resources, we’ve rounded up some articles to help you cope. Check them out below.

Waiting to Adopt During the Holidays

Waiting is the hardest part of an adoption, especially during the holidays. Although these articles don’t have the power to make your stress completely go away, reading tips and advice from other adoptive families can be a source of comfort.
Here are some suggestions to help you get through the busy season.

Navigating Holiday Get‐Togethers with Family

It isn’t always fun and games during family gatherings. Depending on what your family looks like, you might be placed in some uncomfortable situations. If you’re anticipating some awkward questions about your adoption, here are some articles to help you respond to well‐meaning family members.

What to Do While You’re Waiting to Adopt

All adoptive families expect the wait, but actually surviving it is a different matter. But, there are ways that you can fill up your free time. Here are some suggestions for things to do while you’re waiting during or after the holiday season.

Waiting Stories from Other Adoptive Families

The good news about waiting for an adoption opportunity is that you’re not alone. There are tons of other hopeful parents who have been, or are currently, in your shoes. Read a few stories from other adoptive families who’ve had a long wait below.

We know the wait is hard. Even so, remember to have faith that everything will be okay. The wait can be long, but we promise that it won’t last forever. Remember, you can always reach out to your adoption professional for support and counseling at any time.

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Adoptees Adoptive Family General

Incorporating Your Child’s Birth Culture in Your Holiday Traditions

It’s the best time of the year — the holidays! We can’t wait to eat some delicious food with some of our favorite people. If your family has been touched by adoption, this means gathering all members of the adoption triad — adoptive and birth family, and the adoptee, of course!
We know that adoptive families come from all walks of life, so if you’ve completed an international or transracial adoption, you might be wondering how you can include your child’s birth culture into your holiday traditions. This year, we’d like to share some fun ways that you can help your child connect and honor their heritage during the holiday season.

Common Holidays from Around the World

Christmas isn’t the only big event to look forward to this season. Here is a brief description of a few holidays that are celebrated in different parts of the world and ways that you can incorporate them into your family traditions.
 Winter Solstice: The Winter Solstice is celebrated all over the world and is one of the most important holidays in Chinese and East Asian culture. In the northern hemisphere, it’s celebrated on Dec. 21. Many families in China and Taiwan will celebrate with a special meal to honor the holiday. Traditionally, families will get together to make dumplings, but there a few other delicious options that you could make.
Chinese New Year: Chinese New Year is the most important holiday of the year for Chinese families. Next year, it will take place on Jan. 25, 2020! The main activities include preparing a celebration feast, putting up decorations, setting off fireworks and giving red envelopes to children with money inside. Learn about other traditions here.
Kwanzaa: Kwanzaa is a week‐long celebration held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.This holiday honors African‐American heritage and culture. Families can celebrate in their own way, but the holiday typically includes wearing traditional African clothing, telling stories, exchanging gifts and more.
Hanukkah: There are a quite a few countries that celebrate this holiday from Dec. 22 to Dec. 30. Depending on where your child is from, there are different ways that you can make it your own. Don’t miss out! Dreidels aren’t always necessary, but there are some delicious recipes that you can make with your family.

5 Ways that You Can Celebrate with Your Child

Here are a few more ways that you can celebrate with your family and community during the holidays. Even though it’s a busy season, we know you can find the time to incorporate your child’s birth culture and adoption into your everyday holiday traditions.
Check out our suggestions below:

Support Starts at Home

Maintaining a cultural connection is the key for your child’s sense of self and well‐being. Learning about their cultural roots is also great for their confidence.
Don’t forget that the holidays aren’t the only time that you can celebrate and honor your child’s birth culture. You should also be looking for ways to incorporate their traditions into your life all year‐round.
There are plenty of fun, simple ways that you can add their traditions into your daily routine. Remember to stay up to date on current events so that you can answer any questions your child might have. You can also keep an eye out for books and movies that feature characters that your child can identify with.
If you’re looking for more ideas on how to honor your child’s cultural background during the holidays and the rest of the year, reach out to your adoption professional.
How Will You Celebrate This Year?
No matter how you choose to celebrate, the holidays are about one thing: family. Gather yours and plan a celebration no one will ever forget.
If you have any holiday traditions that we didn’t get a chance to cover, we’d love to hear them! Let us know how you plan to make this season special in the comments. Happy holidays!

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Birth Parent

5 Signs Adoption Might be Right for Your Unplanned Pregnancy

Adoption might be the biggest decision you ever make.
If you’re considering adoption, you didn’t plan on being here. An unexpected pregnancy is one of life’s most disruptive surprises, regardless of your situation. As you mull over your unplanned pregnancy options, you might be looking for a sign. A clear, obvious signal that says, “Yes, adoption is right for you!”
We’ve got good news and bad news. First, the bad news. For most people, life doesn’t drop a giant, flashing sign with a clear answer about adoption. Every situation is unique, which means only you can know what will be best for you. But here’s the good news: there are smaller signs in life as you contemplate this decision that can guide you one way or another. In the end, you still have to make the call. There are things you can look for along the way that will help.
If you find yourself resonating with these five signs, then adoption could be right for your unplanned pregnancy.

1. The Financial Pressure of Pregnancy is Overwhelming

The majority of Americans say that money is a significant point of stress in their life. In fact, finances can cause such strong anxiety that it has become a common cause for declining health in the U.S. This stress is only compounded by an unplanned pregnancy, which creates new (and large) financial demands.
If you’re going to spend your entire pregnancy racked with anxiety, adoption might be the right decision. There are a couple reasons for this. First, constant stress during pregnancy can be harmful for both the mother and the baby. Doing what you can to alleviate that stress is going to be best for everyone. How does adoption help? Most pregnant women who choose adoption receive financial assistance for pregnancy-related expenses. This most certainly covers medical bills, and can also extend to living and transportation costs, depending on your situation.
If you don’t know how pregnancy is going to be financially possible, adoption could be the right unplanned pregnancy option for you.

2. The Idea of Being a Parenting is Terrifying

Moving past pregnancy, there’s a life of parenting ahead. What is your gut reaction when you think about that? It’s normal to be nervous. But if you go beyond nerves and into all-encompassing fear, then your body is trying to tell you something. It may not be time for you to be a parent.
Not being ready to be a parent is different than not being able to be a parent. There’s no shame in this feeling. Maybe you’ve dreamed of having a family, so feeling scared makes you feel inadequate. You shouldn’t. Many birth mothers go on to have families of their own at the right time. If right now isn’t right, that’s okay. You can choose adoption to create a new chance at life for yourself and your baby.

3. Your Relationship with the Father is Unstable

Supportive relationships make a significant impact on parenting. There’s an effect on you as a mother. During pregnancy and throughout parenting, a reliable partner can provide support, encouragement and assistance. Splitting the responsibility between two people can make everything less stressful.
There’s also the impact your relationship has on your child. Research has found that children in two-parent households are at a significantly smaller risk of things like dropping out of high school and being economically disadvantaged. If the father of the baby is unknown, unsupportive or does not want to be involved, adoption could be a good choice.

4. Life Has More for you Before You Become a Parent

It’s not that you can’t be a parent; it’s that you’re not ready to be a parent yet. You could be chasing your career goals, finishing your education or working hard to put yourself in a better financial situation. Whatever you are striving towards, you deserve the opportunity to achieve that goal, and an unplanned pregnancy could be a major roadblock.
You don’t have to give up on what you want for your life when you experience an unplanned pregnancy. Adoption gives you a fresh start and gives your baby the opportunity to grow up in a wonderful, loving family. If you know that there’s more for you to do in life before becoming a parent, then considering adoption is a good idea.

5. You Want the Best for the Baby

Adoption isn’t giving up, even though it’s common to hear about a woman “giving her baby up” for adoption. Rather, adoption is giving a chance at life. Women who choose adoption do so because they love their baby. They want to do what is best for this child, and that might be adoption. It’s not giving up at all — it’s making a brave, loving choice.
In modern-day adoption, you can even stay connected with your child through open adoption. Continued contact in the form of photos, letters, emails, phone calls and potentially even in-person meet-ups is common for birth mothers. This way, you can see your child growing and thriving with their adoptive parents and feel confident that you made the right choice.
These five signs can point you in the direction of adoption. Ultimately, the choice is up to you. If it’s the right path, adoption can be one of the best things you’ll ever do, both for yourself and your baby. To learn more, contact us today. We will connect you with an adoption professional free-of-charge and with no obligations.

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General

Adoption Decisions – Part 5: Choosing a Professional

This is the fifth and final post in a series about decision-making in adoption. If you have not done so already, you can catch up starting with Part 1 here.

You are ready to jump in with both feet. Your family has weighed the pros and cons of every piece in the adoption puzzle. Now is the time to make it all happen. But who will you trust with handling all the pieces and making sure they fit together for the beautiful picture you are about to create?

Choosing a professional can be one of the most important decisions you make as you kick-start your adoption journey. Whoever you commit to working with will be refining all the details and affecting your experience in the process. Follow these steps to help find the best adoption professional for you.

1. Know what your family needs

What is your family’s level of expertise with adoption? If you consider yourselves novices, you will want someone who can take your hand each step of the way and educate you as they facilitate the details. If you have prior experience with adoption, your family may want to choose a professional that allows you to have more control over the process. Agencies will also have requirements themselves for deciding what families to work with. Knowing your family’s desires as well as your limitations will make it easier to identify the right professional for you.

2. Is the agency licensed?

When researching different agencies or professionals, make sure they meet your state’s requirements for licensing and performing adoption services.

3. What training and education do they provide?

Most agencies will require families to attend pre-adoption training or complete an educational requirement for adoption. This will give you an idea of how reputable the agency is because they want the best for the people they are serving.

4. What services do they provide for the prospective birth mother?

You want to know that anyone you are working with in an adoption will advocate for their potential birth mothers. Caring for the baby in an adoption includes providing services for the prospective birth mother that will ensure she is counseled before and after a placement, receives assistance for her basic needs, and is available to her for support as she makes the hardest and most courageous decision of her life.

5. What are the professional’s fees, and what do they include?

Whether you are choosing an adoption attorney, a non-profit agency, or a for-profit adoption agency, they will all have some type of fees. An adoption professional should be able to give you itemized charges and estimated expenses for most adoption situations. They should tell you what all is covered by their fees and what is not. Asking about “at-risk” fees will also be important because they will come into play in the event of a disrupted adoption situation. Know what your family can afford and any extras you will be asked to pay.

6. What is their average wait time?

An estimate for wait time from an adoption professional will be just that, an estimate. However, knowing how many families they serve and the number of birth mothers they work with can help determine the wait time for a family. Other factors will also come into play, such as an adoptive family’s preferences for the child they wish to adopt. But having the conversation about wait time will open your eyes for realistic expectations.

7. Ask for references

When making a decision this big and trusting someone to bring your adoption full circle, it may be helpful to ask for references. If you don’t know anyone who has used their services before, ask if they can get you in contact with a previous family that worked with them. Talking with someone who was on your side of the adoption process can help you better understand the adoption professional you are researching.

One of the most profound and truthful things I can tell you is that adoption is hard, but it is so worth it. You could have the best professional in the country and receive the best services, and the process would still prove to bring difficulties. Find someone who will support you throughout the process and make even the hardest days worth every second.

Jill is a 32-year-old wife and mom. She has been married to her husband, Brannon, for eight years and has 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters. Jill and her husband are currently in the adoption process to bring another baby into their home. Jill lives in a small community in Kentucky. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish and obtained her Master’s degree in Christian Ministries. Jill’s passions are her faith, her family, writing, playing sports, and eating good food.

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Adoptive Family

How to Avoid Adoption Scams

Everything You Need to Know to Protect Yourself

With any adoption, you’re taking a huge leap of faith. Unfortunately, there are some who know that you’re in a vulnerable, emotional place and are waiting to take advantage of unsuspecting families. These people are known as adoption scammers.
While adoption scams are few and far between, they do happen, and they’re an unfortunate reality of adoption that hopeful parents need to be aware of. The best way to protect your family from falling victim to one is through education and awareness.
Here, learn more about what adoption scams are and how you can protect yourself from falling victim to one.

What is an Adoption Scam?

Most adoption scams will involve a pregnant or a supposedly pregnant woman contacting an adoption agency or an adoptive family hoping to place her child for adoption. Oftentimes, she is never actually pregnant (or has no plans to place her unborn child) and is only looking for emotional or financial support.
Adoption scams can also be perpetuated by adoption professionals. In these situations, a professional will appear trustworthy in order to lure families in. Behind the scenes, however, no adoption is actually taking place. Hopeful parents may start to notice that their phone calls and emails are frequently going unanswered until, eventually, there’s no response at all. Once they realize what’s happening, families are left heartbroken and swindled out of thousands of dollars. While they always have the opportunity to try again with a reputable professional, it may be harder to place their trust in another professional.

How to Protect Yourself in an Adoption

While we know adoption scams are scary to think about, they’re an unfortunate reality that all adoptive families need to be aware of. However, there are some steps that you can take to protect yourself.

With the right tools, adoption scammers are easy to spot. So, don’t ignore your instincts. If you have a sinking suspicion that something is off, you’re probably right.
On top of the tips that we’ve listed below, you should also take the time to do your own research. Here are a few articles that might be helpful for recognizing adoption scams, including some recent adoption scam stories.

Although we’ve listed plenty of tips to help prevent an adoption scam, the truth is that these situations can — and do — still happen. The most important thing is knowing that there are many ways to protect yourself. By far, the best way to minimize the risk of an adoption scam is to work with a reputable agency or adoption professional. Reach out to one today to learn more.

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Adoptive Family

Adoption Decisions – Part 4: Agency vs. Independent

This is the fourth in a series of posts about decision-making in adoption. If you have not done so already, you can catch up starting with Part 1 here. Stay tuned for the final post next week about choosing an adoption professional.

Now that you have made the decision to pursue a domestic adoption, you will need to do your research and decide whether you will use an adoption agency to provide services for you along the way or whether you want to go forward with an independent adoption. Both of these options can deliver the same outcome — bringing a child into your home — but the steps to take along the way will look different.

If you can imagine the adoption process like building a house, then this decision is like choosing to either hire a contractor to set everything into motion, from the plans being drawn to the final walkthrough, or choosing to be your own contractor. In that case, you would be the one calling the plumber to set up a time to come and the electrician to install the wiring and the concrete guy to lay the foundation (not all in that order!). You would also have to know what the timeline looks like for the job and how to best get everything done and follow every building code and permit. Sounds like a lot of work, but there are benefits to it too.

An adoption within the United States will look similar no matter who is handling the details, but the details are so important and require knowledge of everything adoption-related in order to keep things going smoothly and follow the legal requirements. A constant between an agency and independent adoption will be the services of an adoption attorney to legally finalize the process.

In many cases, an independent adoption is the result of a prospective birth mother and an adoptive family already being in agreement for an adoptive plan before either make contact with an adoption professional. This could be because a prospective birth mother identified a family she already knew or who she was connected with through a mutual acquaintance to adopt her child. In a case like this, an agency may not always be necessary because a match between a birth family and adoptive family is already established.

What an Agency Provides in an Adoption:

An adoption agency is a group of professionals that know the ins and outs of everything adoption-related and provide services to the prospective birth mother as well as the adoptive family throughout the entire process. Each agency will have somewhat different services or packages to choose from that include many of the following options.

Benefits of an Independent Adoption:

An independent adoption can be done. Sometimes you may wait longer to find a match, and other times you can do your own advertising and get a phone call from a friend who knows a friend who needs to find an adoptive family for her child. If you are more uneasy about making all the decisions and pursuing every detail, then you may benefit more from an agency approach because you will be provided with someone the entire process who is knowledgeable and has every service already in place. Do your research about different adoption agencies, what they provide, the cost of their services, and then decide what is best for your family as you pursue domestic adoption.

Jill is a 32-year-old wife and mom. She has been married to her husband, Brannon, for eight years and has 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters. Jill and her husband are currently in the adoption process to bring another baby into their home. Jill lives in a small community in Kentucky. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish and obtained her Master’s degree in Christian Ministries. Jill’s passions are her faith, her family, writing, playing sports, and eating good food.

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Thoughts from a Birth Mother

Adoptive Parents: Near or Far? — Thoughts from a Birth Mother

I have experienced both living in the same state as my child and living in another state far from my child. I know that there are pros and cons to both.
Fortunately, I have an open adoption in which I get to communicate with my child no matter where I am living. This means I am also familiar with the ups and downs that come with open adoption, including moving farther away from and closer to my child.
My love for my child grows daily, regardless of where I am living. My bond with my child also grows stronger as he matures in every interaction we have, whether it’s in person or over the phone. No matter where I live or where my child lives, I have been an active part in my relationship with my child.
In my opinion, every prospective birth mother should decide for herself if she wants to place her baby with a local family and have her baby raised in the same state as her, or place her baby with an out-of-state family and search from a larger pool of waiting adoptive families.
Every prospective birth mother has her own idea of what open adoption will look like, and that reality deserves to be honored — regardless of where her perfect adoptive family lives.
If you are a prospective birth mother wondering if your child’s adoptive parents should live near to or far from you, then read on to learn more about open adoption, which option is a better fit for you, and what you can do to start your very own open adoption journey!

What Is Open Adoption?

Open adoption is a type of post-placement relationship in which a birth mother has direct communication with her baby after placing him or her for adoption. This communication can come in any form and any frequency. In an open adoption, adoptive parents and a birth mother choose to maintain a relationship with each other and with the adopted child throughout his or her upbringing.
Sometimes, a prospective birth mother chooses a waiting family who lives in the same state as her. Other times, an expectant mother chooses an adoptive family who lives out-of-state. Regardless of how near or far her child is, a birth mother in an open adoption can not only enjoy watching her baby grow up, but also be as big or as small a part of it as she desires.
If you are considering an open adoption, please speak with an adoption professional. They can equip you with the resources to determine if a successful open adoption can be an option for you!

How Do I Decide: Local or Not?

There are a few things to consider when deciding where you want your perfect adoptive family to live:

These are only some of the questions you might ask yourself when making a decision about the openness of your adoption after placement and the location of your child’s prospective adoptive parents.
It is important to remember that this decision belongs to you, the prospective birth mother. No matter what your sphere of influence may be advising you, be sure that you have peace in your decision before moving forward with a waiting family. If at any point you change your mind about how you want to carry out your adoption wishes, be sure to inform your adoption professional right away.

Browse Online Adoptive Family Profiles

There are waiting families across the nation, in every state in the U.S. You can find a local waiting family through a local adoption agency or even a national adoption agency. Many adoption agencies let you browse waiting families on their websites, so you can start envisioning your perfect match today! You can also use online adoptive family profiles to help you determine where you want your child to live.
Dream big when it comes to your perfect open adoption. Let your adoption professional help you turn your own open adoption dream into a reality. Contact an open adoption professional today to learn more about how you can have your very own fairytale open adoption!
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where your child lives physically — only where your child lives in your heart!
-Lindsay Arielle
Lindsay is a guest blogger for Considering Adoption. She placed her son for adoption eight years ago and hopes to use her experience to support and educate other expectant mothers considering adoption, as well as adoptive families.

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News

House Reps Call for Passing of Adoptee Citizenship Act During National Adoption Month

A new bill proposed to the U.S. House and Senate aims to protect international adoptees who never received citizenship when brought to the United States.
Reps. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) have introduced the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2019. The legislation aims to extend the benefits of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 by providing citizenship to international adoptees who were over the age of 18 years old at the time the original bill was enacted.
“We must come together to defeat the fallacy that adoptive children are any different from biological children,” the House representatives wrote in an op-ed in The Hill. “Time is running out for these thousands of adoptees, where each day is a struggle without citizenship or status. We can do better for these friends and neighbors of ours.”
The Adoptee Citizenship Act comes as a response to the increasing number of international adoptees deported to their birth countries after years of believing they had been granted citizenship in the U.S. upon their arrival. When international adoptees are brought to the United States, they are not automatically made American citizens; often, their parents must complete a re-adoption with a licensed attorney to secure their children’s citizenships. This leaves many adoptees in limbo after years of working, raising a family and being an integral part of American society.
Adoptees for Justice is just one organization fighting for the rights of international adoptees and the passage of the Adoptee Citizenship Act. The organization has been working with congressional leadership since the first version of the bill was introduced in 2018, inspiring changes to make the bill more inclusive for all impacted adoptees without citizenship.
While the legislation is still under review and awaits a vote for passage, you can make your voice heard by signing Adoptees for Justice’s petition to support the Adoptee Citizenship Act. You can also contact your local congressperson to share your thoughts on this bill and other adoption legislation.

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Adoptive Family

Adoption Decisions – Part 3: Private vs. Foster Care

This is the third in a series of posts about decision-making in adoption. If you have not done so already, you can catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 here. Stay tuned for next week’s post about making the decision to adopt privately or through an agency.

Once you and your family have made the decision to adopt within the United States, you’ll learn that there are a couple routes you can take to bring a child home: private adoption and foster care adoption. Just like many other choices in the adoption process, you will research the possibilities and choose the option that best fits your family’s adoption situation. Review the particulars with each type of adoption below, and move forward better educated on each option.

Private Adoption:

A private adoption can be completed as either an agency adoption or an independent adoption. Either one of these processes will have similar end results but may vary in the path it takes to get there. The home study process will be identical. You will have to do all the same background checks and reference letters to be considered for legal adoption in your state or the state you adopt from.

In a private agency adoption, you will have an adoption professional that works through every detail and provides assistance on each step to be matched with a prospective birth mother. An independent adoption usually starts when you already know an expectant mother and seek to legally adopt the child without the help of an agency’s matching services. An independent adoption will require you to seek your own legal counsel and pre- and post-adoption counseling for involved parties, along with other necessary placement services needed to complete the adoption.

Most private domestic adoptions will be families seeking the adoption of a baby from birth with the option of having an open relationship with the birth parents. Many times, families can be gender- or race-specific and request detailed medical information when seeking to be matched with a prospective birth mother. The wait time to be matched with a baby will depend upon many factors involving your family’s wishes. Once the baby is born in a private adoption situation, the adoptive family will travel to the birthplace and be introduced to their new child.

Costs associated with a private adoption can range anywhere from $20,000-$50,000 depending on which agency you choose to use, a birth mother’s needs, and the costs of the home study, background checks, travel, pre- and post-placement paperwork, and legal fees. There is also a small chance that a failed adoption can occur, where a potential birth mother chooses to parent after having made adoption arrangements. The costs that are “at risk” in these situations vary also based on what has been paid and if an agency will reimburse any expenses.

Foster Adoption:

Through your state’s social services department, there is another avenue to bring a child to your home. Foster adoption will look very differently from a private adoption in many ways and offers an alternative to infant adoption. The process to adopt from the foster care system in your state will even look a little different than if you were applying for a private adoption. In both cases, a home study and thorough checks of your background, finances, medical history, and criminal records will be done to deem your family credible and worthy of caring for a child. On top of all these requirements by any state for any type of adoption, when going through the foster care system, you will also be required to attend pre-adoption classes that educate and prepare families for the role they will be taking on as an adoptive family of a foster child.

You will also be asked when applying through the foster care system in your state what your final intentions will be for a child coming to your home. You can choose to only be a foster parent and provide a safe and loving home for a child(ren) for as long as the courts believe necessary to reintegrate the child back to their family. You also have the choice to foster with the intent to adopt a child that is unable to return to his/her family after parental rights have been terminated. And lastly, you are able to adopt a child through the state’s foster care system without having first been his/her foster parent. Do a quick search of foster care entities in your area. Some will be considered “privatized” agencies for foster care but will still provide similar services to find homes for foster children.

Waiting children to be adopted from foster care will more than likely be over two years of age, and children are more often eight years of age or older. Adopting a baby from foster care is rare, especially when you have not first been the foster parent. Once court proceedings are held and birth parents are given opportunities to better themselves, it can be years before a child is legally released to be adopted by another family. For this reason, there are many older children in the foster care system that are in need of adoption. There are also children of all races, genders, and special needs in the foster care system that need homes. Consider what your family will be suited to embrace based on your unique situation.

When adopting through foster care, it is critical to understand that many of the children have experienced abuse, tragedy, and trauma and will need love and support to help them find joy and peace past their pain. Continuing education for foster care situations can always breathe strength into your fears and provide the knowledge to make each day better.

Costs associated with an adoption through the foster care system can be anywhere from $0-$2,500. Most of the time, these costs include the home study and background checks required to be considered for adoption. In some cases, if you choose to foster-to-adopt, you may even be paid a stipend during the foster care to help with expenses of raising a child. Your wait time can also be decreased when adopting through foster care because of the great need and wide availability of children needing loving homes.

As with private adoption “at-risk” costs, there is an “at-risk” emotional expense when deciding to adopt through foster care. When a parent is still attempting to welcome their child back into their own home, a foster family must be ready to surrender the child back into the arms of their parents. However, the emotional expense will always be outweighed by knowing you loved a child the way they needed to be loved.

Foster-to-adopt or adopting through the foster care system will have its own challenges, just like a private adoption will. All can end with a child being loved and cared for by an adoptive family. Just like each child will have its own unique needs, every family will represent a new situation that can fit the needs of a child.

This is the third in a series of posts about decision-making in adoption. You can read Part 4: Agency vs. Independent Adoption here.

Jill is a 32-year-old wife and mom. She has been married to her husband, Brannon, for eight years and has 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters. Jill and her husband are currently in the adoption process to bring another baby into their home. Jill lives in a small community in Kentucky. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish and obtained her Master’s degree in Christian Ministries. Jill’s passions are her faith, her family, writing, playing sports, and eating good food.

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Adoptees Adoptive Family General

Celebrate National Adoption Day!

10 Ways that You Can Get Involved

All of November is National Adoption Month, but on Nov. 23, it’s time to celebrate National Adoption Day!

This campaign is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the more-than-120,000 children in foster care waiting for their forever homes. National Adoption Day continues to be celebrated annually by organizations, adoption professionals, and adoptive families alike. It’s estimated that, since its inception in 2000, more than 70,000 beautiful families have been created — so today’s kind of a big deal.

But, even if you haven’t adopted from the foster care system, you can still be a part of the conversation. In fact, we encourage it. Today is about you, too! This is another opportunity during National Adoption Month to celebrate the way adoption touches all of our lives. We want families, from all types of adoptions, to share their unique story and get involved. There are plenty of ways to talk about National Adoption Day with your child, their birth parents and your community. Start the conversation today!

What You Can Do to Honor National Adoption Day

National Adoption Day takes place every Saturday before Thanksgiving — just in time for the holidays. There are so many simple ways that you can get involved. So, don’t be afraid to get creative.

We’ve listed just a few below, but there are plenty of other ideas that you might consider. Even if you choose to do something small, you’re still making a difference, so don’t underestimate the impact you have today. Here are some fun activities that you can do to celebrate National Adoption Day.

What are your plans this National Adoption Day? We’d love to hear about them! Reach out to us below in the comments and let us know how you plan to turn this National Adoption Day a memorable one.  Have fun!

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