One of the best parts of the New Year is going through one’s goals and resolutions. What did you accomplish in the last year? What are you planning in the next one? What can you be working on now to get to where you want to be?
For many families, these aspirations center on family-building and adoption. As humans, we like to look for “signs” to tell us when we’re ready to make a big change. And while you certainly can’t rely on anyone else to let you know when you’re ready to begin the adoption process, the following can be pretty good indicators that it might be time to contact an adoption professional:
You have processed any grief resulting from infertility or miscarriages.
Many families who ultimately decide to pursue adoption first struggle with infertility issues. This is completely okay, but it’s important that you have fully accepted your infertility and grieved that loss before moving on to adoption. How long this takes is completely dependent on you and your family, but it’s important that you are equally as excited about adoption as you would’ve been to conceive before you put your energies into adopting a child.
You understand that adoption can be an emotional roller coaster.
Before you begin the adoption process, you need to know that there will be emotional lows as well as highs. There may be a long waiting process as you wait to match with a prospective birth mother. There may be disruptions, and it may be emotional to bond with a potential birth mother as well. It’s important that you understand this (as well as what a birth mother is going through) before you embark on the adoption journey.
You’re excited about the idea of getting to know your child’s birth family.
At American Adoptions, we recommend (like most other adoption professionals) that you have at least some degree of openness, or communication, in an adoptive relationship. Keeping open lines of communication with your child’s birth parents will benefit you, the birth parents and your child as time passes. It’s important that you understand this.
You understand — and are prepared for — the financial realities of adoption.
Adoption is not cheap, and it’s important that you understand why. There is so much that goes into it — medical expenses, legal expenses, counseling expenses, professional services — and it’s important that you are prepared to cover all of these costs. There are absolutely ways to raise this money — loans and grants, fundraisers, the Adoption Tax Credit — but it’s crucial that you are prepared to handle all expenses before you begin the process.
You have no doubts that you can love a child who is not biologically yours.
Biology has nothing to do with how much you can love a child, and it’s important that you understand that before you commit to adopting. An adopted child deserves all the love and support that a biological child would get.
Ready to begin your adoption journey? Get started today by contacting American Adoptions at 1-800-ADOPTION.
