4 Important Questions to Ask Before Adopting
Opening your heart and your home to a child is one of the best gifts anyone can give. Though joining a family with children can be challenging, it is also an extremely rewarding way to provide both financial and emotional stability to a child's life.
If you’re eager to bring a child into your family, it's important to prepare yourself for this process to ensure you're ready.
1. Why Do I Want to Adopt?
There are plenty of reasons parents choose to adopt — from issues conceiving to the desire to give a child a better, safer home. It’s important to understand your reasons for adopting and know that your decision to adopt is not ‘second-best’ to conceiving on your own. Adoption isn’t for everyone — and that’s okay.
2. Am I Okay With an Open Adoption?
As most prospective adoptive parents know, adoptions can either be open or closed. Open adoption means that there may be some contact between the biological parents and your child, while a closed adoption means that there is no contact between the parents and your child once the adoption is finalized. Most adoptions in the United States tend to be open adoptions nowadays, so it’s important to prepare for those conversations now.
International vs. Domestic Adoptions
Additionally, you’ll need to decide if you want to pursue a domestic adoption or international adoption. In both cases, private adoption agencies can be used alongside your attorney to make the process easiest, but international adoptions can be done independently as well.
Read More: Breaking Down Hawaii’s Adoption Laws
3. Am I Open to a Child of Another Race Than My Own?
If you are open to transracial adoption, gaining knowledge before you adopt is a great way to make your child feel comfortable and understood at home. This means being prepared to openly discuss racial inequality and privilege with your little one, as well as obstacles your child may face in your community.
Additionally, it’s a great idea to gain insight on how you can acclimate your child’s culture into your home life, so they feel more welcome.
4. Is My Marriage/Relationship Suitable for Adoption?
Beyond asking yourself about the terms you’re comfortable with and why you want to adopt, it’s important to think about you and your partner’s relationship. Are you ready for the challenges that may come with adoption, and can you both work together to work through this emotional process? No matter how a child comes into your life, they will always require love, support, and dedication. Before adopting a child, be sure that you have this support from each other first.
Honolulu Adoption Attorneys
At Smith & Sturdivant, LLLC, we are passionate about helping families during the most important and challenging times in their lives. We always strive to have a well-rounded understanding of every case that comes to us so we can approach the problem fully and ensure the most favorable outcome possible.
If you need legal assistance with your adoption, contact our firm today at (808) 201-3898 to schedule a free initial consultation! We are looking forward to providing you with our dedicated legal services.