Adopting

a wonderful gift of love

Adopting a child is a very important decision to make for yourselves and for the child. I hope to help you find the answers to all the questions you may have regarding this major life change.

Our Own: Adopting and Parenting the Older Child
Author: Maskew, Trish

Parenting Your Adopted Older Child: How to Overcome the Unique Challenges and Raise a Happy and Healthy Child
Author: McCreight, Brenda

Parenting the Hurt Child: Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow Adoption of a child is a wonderful event. But some adoptees arrive with hurts from the past that can affect an entire family. With time, patience, and informed parenting, your adopted child can heal, grow, and develop beyond what seems possible now. Gregory C. Keck and Regina M. Kupecky explain how to manage a hurting child with loving wisdom, resolve, and success, and how to preserve your stability while untangling a thorny heart.

The Unofficial Guide^TM to Adopting a Child
Author: Andrea DellaVecchio

Adopting and Advocating for the Special Needs Child: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
Author(s): Babb, L. Anne; Laws, Rita

Adopting for Good: A Guide for People Considering Adoption There are children who need parents. Could you be the answer to a child's prayers? Your longing for a child can lead to the best thing that will ever happen to a boy or girl who needs parents. Whether you are infertile, single, medically prohibited from having a child or just looking for the boy or girl you've always wanted, this book will show you how to find the child who needs you. Jorie Kincaid, an adopted child herself, has adopted children both domestically and internationally. In this practical guidebook she provides all the information you need to decide whether adoption is for you: -- the differences between open and closed adoption -- an explanation of how the adoption process works both domestically and internationally -- steps you can take to make adoption permanent -- answers to ethical questions, like "When does adoption become 'buying a baby'?" -- advice about adopting older children and children from other races, cultures and countries -- key resources to help you take the next step

Adopting on Your Own: The Complete Guide to Adoption for Single Parents Adopting On Your Own will help you decide whether adoption is right for you lead you through the various stages of arranging and financing the adoption weigh the advantages of international versus domestic adoption for the single parent demystify potentially daunting steps such as choosing an agency and preparing for the home study

Adopting After Infertility
Author(s): Johnston, Patricia Irwin

Adopting in America: How to Adopt Within One Year This best-selling "how to" adoption book is now revised and updated since its first appearance in 1994. Adopting in America has helped countless couples realize their dream of creating a family. Filled with unique strategies for adopting quickly, Adopting in America shatters the negative myths of the adoption process and tells couples everything they need to know to adopt successfully within a year. With one in every six couples infertile, adoption is the first choice for many, and this book is their best resource.

Adoption Options--Where Do I Start? By Larry Denton

Children are a special gift full of love, hope, joy, and adventure. Child adoption is a wonderful option when it comes time to increase the size of your family. Thousands or people adopt children each year and both they and the children benefit from it greatly. It is, however, not a decision to be made lightly. Are you emotionally ready for a life-time commitment? If you are adopting because of an infertility problem, have you resolved that issue? Is your home large enough? Are you financially capable of raising a child? Do you really want the responsibility of being a parent?

These questions, and many more, need to be answered before proceeding with the adoption process. At times, the adoption process can seem complicated, time consuming, and even frustrating. However, there are many resources available to help prospective adoptive parents as well as for those women who are looking for assistance in giving their child a better life. The decision to place a child for adoption is an extremely difficult one. It is an act of great courage and much love. Remember, adoption is permanent. Children do not need "perfect" parents--they simply need one or more committed individuals who are willing to meet their basic needs and allow them to become part of a nurturing family environment.

Finding your "ideal" child, who is available for adoption, can take some time. Each and every adoptive parent has their own mental picture of what they want their child to be. The more specific you are with your ideal child, the harder it will be to find him or her. But no matter what child you adopt, you will end up loving him or her just as much, because all children are a special joy.

There are basically two types of adoptions: confidential and open. In a confidential adoption, the birth parents and the adoptive parents never know each other. Adopting parents are given some background information about the birth mother and the father so that they may better take proper care of the child--such as medical histories. Using an open adoption method, the birth parents and the adoptive parents know something about each other. In the least open, the birth mother reads about several possible families and picks the one that sounds best for the baby. In the most open type, the mother and the adoptive parents share names, addresses, telephone numbers and actually stay in contact with one another through the years.

The second major decision concerning adoption concerns the question, "Where will the child come from?" Again, there are two options. You can adopt a child born in the United States, called a domestic adoption, or you can choose to adopt a child from another country, referred to as an inter-country adoption. If you choose the second option, you must then decide from which country your child should come--sometimes a very difficult, but vitally important decision.

No matter what type of adoption you choose to pursue, remember that this is a legal proceeding and must be finalized in court, although the process varies from state to state. Adoption is a life-long process, and you and your new addition are sure to have many questions along the way. "Why did Mom give me up?" "Who is my real Dad?" These are real and important questions which must be answered by those involved, but adoption is truly a great opportunity for everyone involved. With adoptions everyone wins!

Larry Denton is a retired history teacher having taught 33 years at Hobson High in Hobson, Montana. He is currently Vice President of Elfin Enterprises, Inc., an Internet business providing useful information and resources on a variety of timely topics. For a court room full of information, resources and advice about adoptions, visit http://www.AdoptionAide.com

Also related to Adopting is Adopting Internationally