Getting Started in Adoption

Should we adopt or not?

For families who have struggled with infertility or who face other medical problems giving birth to a child impossible, or, at least, ill advised, adoption offers an opportunity to realize their dream of having a family.

Families who have adopted children will tell you that they could not imagine the child being any more a part of themselves or loving the child any more than if they had given birth to the child. The child is "their" child not their "adopted" child.

But is adoption right for everyone?

Certainly, not everyone can get past the need for a biological connection to a child. However, even for those who know that they have the capability of loving and nurturing a child regardless of the child's genes, the process of adopting can be very time consuming, emotionally draining, and expensive, all without guaranteed success.

For some people, trying to complete their family through adoption and not succeeding would leave them with a greater sense of peace and closure than never having tried.

While adoption comes with peril, the rewards are enormous for those who are successful.

Therefore, the first step in adopting is probably to take a step back, give yourself some time to heal from the disappointments and tragedies, which preface every entry into adopting, and then with your emotional stores fully recharged begin the process of seeking out an adoption professional.