A good way to begin thinking
about the type of adoption that works best for your family is to take a
careful look at your life and lifestyle, your financial picture, your
philosophy and risk tolerance, among other things. If you and your partner
are pursuing adoption together, you might want to reflect on these issues
separately, write down your thoughts then share them so you can understand
each others point-of-view and work through any issues that may have been
identified along the way.
We have made a list of some of
the issues you should consider. You may want to add to the list yourself.
Take the time you need to be thoughtful and honest about your answers.
Adoption is a wonderful experience but you should only pursue this form of
family building if it makes sense for you.
- Why do you want to
adopt?
- How important is
adopting to you? (Use a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “not at all” and
10 being “more important than anything else in your life.”)
- If you and your
partner’s interest in adoption is not in the same range (from answer
above), how will you manage that difference?
- Do you have a preference
for a boy or a girl?
- If you have a
preference, how strong is it? (Use a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “no
preference at all” and 10 being “I would refuse a child that is not of
my preferred gender”.)
- Do you have a preferred
age range?
- If you have a
preference, how strong is it? (Use a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “no
preference at all” and 10 being “I would refuse a child that is not of
my preferred age range”.)
