What to Expect When You're Expecting: The Adoption Process

What to Expect When You’re Expecting: The Adoption Process

From the time I was little, I have always thought that I would like to, not only have a child or children of my own, but to also adopt children. I used to envision marrying a man of the same race, but adopting a child from a third-world country. My younger brother and I had a very happy childhood, but we knew there were children in the world who did not have homes or parents, and we tried to convince our parents to adopt a new brother or sister for us. In the end, they decided that the two children they already had were plenty and our pleas were left unfulfilled.

Even today, as I look to my future and think about the different options I have, I still openly consider the prospect of adopting a child. Yet, I realize that my consideration is very broad and greatly uninformed. I only had one friend growing up who was adopted and I thought that it was ‘cool’ at the time. I knew close to nothing then about the whole procedure and unfortunately my knowledge has only grown minimally since then.

It is probably a pretty safe bet to say that everyone knows what adoption is, and it is probably pretty safe to say that everyone knows, or at least knows of, someone who is adopted. However, I would definitely think twice before betting that these people would also know what was involved in the process of adoption.

Adoption is the process by which people take a child who was not born to them and raise them as a member of their family (Alexander). Adoption is sometimes used as an easy way to get out of a pregnancy or raising a child. It is a very emotional process that people sometimes spend their whole lives trying to

Lacy 2

figure more information about the event. Other times it can be used to help the parents who would love to have kids, but are not able. In many cases, this does happen, but doesn't the adoption process need to be clarified and well- interpreted?

The decision to adopt is obviously life-altering for the adoptive parents as well as the adopted child. Neither the process nor the decisions are to be taken lightly. There are many steps that must be taken before approval is given to the adoptive parents and the adoption legalized. "The adoption process begins with a Family Preparation which consists of meetings between the prospective adoptive family and a social worker and provides an opportunity for the family to learn more about and to seriously consider their motivations and expectations for adopting" (Adoption). This process can take anywhere from three to six months and generally includes a personal history, health statements, a criminal background check, an income statement, personal references, and numerous interviews, all of which will be repeated later in the adoption process. The adoptive parents must work with an agency in the state where they live. They must contact several agencies to ask about the type of children they place, any fees, how they assess