Adopting a child

[jjkoestler]

My partner and I have been discussing adopting a child, but before calling a random agency we'd like to learn as much as possible about the process. Any resources, recommendations, and information would be greatly appreciated. Personally I have my fingers crossed for a 5-tool 6'4 Dominican born lefty http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[mothershipconnection]

This is possibly the result of the biased sample I come across in my line of work, but I'd stay away from Russia. It seems that neglect of infants in orphanages is rampant there, and you end up with developmental delays and severe behavior disorders as a result. Those kids desperately need homes, but can come along with needs that you and your insurance company can't pay for (can't in your case, won't in the insurance company's case).

[Invader3K]

My wife and I looked into it in the past, before finding out my she was pregnant a second time. We investigated it through Lutheran Social Services, which is a good option. You have to decide if you want to pursue a domestic or international adoption. I don't remember all the details, but most foreign countries make you visit one to two times before the adoption is finalized. You can typically expect to spend about $15,000, possibly more, on an adoption. LSS gets a large amount of applicants, and you basically get entered into a lottery drawing to see if you are selected for a given year.

 

I will say that my wife has an aunt and uncle that adopted from Russia several years ago. I know there was a lot of red tape they had to go through, and had to go to Russia twice before it was finalized. Their daughter is doing fine now (I think she's about 12 now).

[Thurston Fluff]

It might not be a bad idea to think about foster care first. You will get to know how the whole system works, will help a kid and may end up adopting one in the end. My folks started that way and we ended up adopted 7 of the 12 long term placements. Not because we had to but by the time their parents rights were terminated they were a natural part of the family. The nice thing about going that route is by the time they were officially up for adoption the home was already set. Social workers like to have stability for the kids so they work hard to keep them in the home if possible. That means a lot of the red tape is taken care of for you. Not to mention most if not all of the cost.