Over the years, transracial adoption has become increasingly common, largely because people are much more open about their adoption stories today. Still, transracial adoption has its own unique challenges – but so does every type of family. The key is understanding, preparing for, and talking about those challenges.
If you are thinking about transracial adoption, here are some subjects you will need to think about as your child grows.
So you’ve heard of open adoption and you’ve heard of closed adoption, right? But have you heard of semi-open adoption?
Semi-open adoption is a fairly new idea, only having really taken off in the last couple decades. It refers to those adoptions where contact is exchanged between birth mothers and adoptive families, but identifying information remains private. Ok, that makes sense, but how does it work?
Often times, when beginning the adoption process, adoptive families worry about how they could possibly find a birth mother on their own. How will they know where to look? How will they know if the woman they find will be a good fit? How do they find a woman whose hopes for her child are in line with what they can provide?
At American Adoptions we can do all of the legwork for you. How, you ask? Well, we actually do this using a very simple set of questionnaires. Upon joining our agency, you will be asked to complete an Adoption Planning Questionnaire, or APQ, with the help of one of our adoptive family specialists.
When adoptive families are asked what kinds of prenatal drug exposure they are open to in their child, their main concern is the health of their future child. In a perfect world, an adoptive family’s child will have had no drug exposure and will be born perfectly healthy.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that many babies placed for adoption have been exposed to some type of drug in utero. Exposure can vary from very little to multiple times per day, and effects on the child can vary just as greatly. However, each of these babies has something in common: they’re in need of a loving family to care for and nurture them.
Before making any decisions regarding drug exposure, it is important that adoptive families understand the possible effects on the child. Below, we have identified the most commonly used drugs and the possible effects they may have on an unborn child.
If you are an older couple hoping to adopt, you may have noticed that many adoption agencies have age requirements for families who work with them. What if you are above the upper age limits? Does that mean you are too old to adopt a child?
Very few states have laws that state a maximum age for adoptive parents. When it comes to finding adoptive parents for a child, the thing that matters most is the ability to provide a loving, nurturing, and safe home. Read on to learn about age requirements at adoption agencies and find out your other options
If you have friends or family members who are waiting to adopt, you know how tough it can be for waiting adoptive parents. Nothing is in their control and they have no idea when they might be matched with an expectant mother. In short, it’s stressful.
Fortunately, there are ways that you can help support the parents-to-be as they wait:
If you have decided to grow your family through adoption, you have a long and exciting journey ahead of you. This five-part series is meant to give you the basics on the main steps of the process.
You’ve already taken your new baby home – all that’s left is a few more assessments and then finalization. Over the next several months, you will need to meet your state’s post-placement requirements, and then you will be able to appear in court to make the adoption official.
Read the sections below to learn about post-placement studies and finalization.
If you have decided to grow your family through adoption, you have a long and exciting journey ahead of you. This five-part series is meant to give you the basics on the main steps of the process.
After a long journey of getting approved to adopt, waiting for an adoption opportunity, and getting to know a birth mother, the day is finally here – it’s time for the baby to arrive!
The hospital trip is the most anticipated event in an adoptive family’s journey. To help you prepare, we’ve answered some of the most common questions hopeful families have about what to expect. For more questions about the details of the big day, feel free to get in touch with one of our Adoption Specialists at 1-800-ADOPTION.
If you have decided to grow your family through adoption, you have a long and exciting journey ahead of you. This five-part series is meant to give you the basics on the main steps of the process. Today, we are going to cover the third component of your journey: finding and getting to know the birth mother.
First, you will need to create an adoptive family profile to send out to prospective birth mothers. After you have been selected by a birth mother, you can begin pre-placement contact. Read the sections below to learn about this step of the process.
If you have decided to grow your family through adoption, you have a long and exciting journey ahead of you. This five-part series is meant to give you the basics on the main steps of the process. Today’s post will cover the adoption home study.
As many families know, the home study is one of the most significant points on any adoption journey. It takes a lot of time, work, and organization, but at the end of it, you will be officially ready to adopt a baby!
Every state’s home study process is a little different, but there are always three main elements. Read on to learn about each component of the home study and what you need to do.