betseys309@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> Yes, I am a US citizen. I live in Illinois. I understand why many
> people go overseas to adopt. Unfortunately, my fear of flying holds me
> here. Fortunately, I haven't lost me ability to drive.... :-) As I
> said above, a newborn is not a requirement. From a selfish point, I
> would like to adopt a child under the age of 10. Over that age, my
> heart says I would have an even harder time letting them go at 18!
>
> Thank you so much for reading and responding!
>
> Betsey
Hi Betsey,
Welcome to the group! You have a lot of options. The first thing to
do is to do a LOT of research on adoption, and get a homestudy done.
Adoption.com has some good info:
http://adopting.adoption.com/adopt/getting-started-with-adoption.html
A homestudy is what qualifies you to adopt. It is generally done by a
social worker either through the state or through an adoption agency.
Adopting from the state is a good option if age of the child isn't an
issue and you are willing to take a child that has been made a ward of
the state due to neglect or abuse. Many of these kids have emotional
problems or special needs, and so you would want to take that into
consideration. Most state adoptions are free or very low-cost. Your
local children and family services department can send you more
information about their programs.
If race isn't an issue for you, you might want to consider a Minority
Infant program here in the US, which are mediated by private agencies.
The wait times for babies is short (weeks to months, sometimes even
days, once you are approved to adopt) and the fees, in general, are
lower than other programs (placement fees are many times less than
$10,000.00). You are matched with a Birthmom and take the baby home at
a relatively young age (usually 1 month or less). A couple of us here
in this ng have adopted through these programs and can share info with
you via email if you'd like. We built our family this way, so I have a
lot of resources about transracial adoption and minority infant
adoption, if you are interested. (Email address is gentleboa (at)
peacemail (dot) com, or idontmind (at) gmail (dot) com.)
My biggest suggestion would be to ask a LOT of questions - both here in
the ng and to everyone whom you talk to about adoption. The more you
know, the easier it will be to make an informed decision. Adoption is
a wonderful way to build a family, but it can be a wild emotional
roller coaster, at times. :) Glad you are considering adoption as an
option for you!
-Lyn
|
