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The adoption process is lengthy but extremely rewarding as you open your home to a new member of your family. At Tobias Iszard, PC, we understand that you want to do anything you can to help the process go smoothly. Our adoption attorneys share six ways that you can help smooth out the adoption process.
Prepare Your Family About the Possibility of Adoption
While as a parent, you may feel prepared for adoption, you should also consider how your spouse and children feel. Try to open up discussions about adoption and make sure that your family does understand adoption is a lifelong commitment to the child. When opening up these conversations, do so in a comfortable space for your family or see a family therapist to help guide the conversation. A family therapist can invite your family to a session where they can help your family discuss and process their feelings and expectations for adoption.
Mental preparation is also important for your family, as you can’t go back on the adoption of a child. Before you move forward with the adoption process, you need to make sure the entire family is on board with adding another family member through adoption.
Work Out Any Concerns
If you learn of any concerns during family discussions, you should address those before moving forward in the adoption process. Discuss those concerns further with your family and try to find solutions to those issues.
If you are unable to resolve any family concerns, you may want to pause your adoption search until your family is prepared to welcome a new family member. Continuing without resolving issues can create obstacles for your family as you pursue adoption and continue through the adoption process.
Prepare Your Finances
While adoption can be emotionally costly, it can also be financially costly. When pursuing adoption, you should review your finances to ensure you can afford to adopt. Families can expect to pay for adoption application fees, the home study, agency fees, and fees if they choose to use an adoption attorney. On average, private adoption in the United States can range between $20,000 to $40,000, including all fees listed above.
When preparing your finances, you should also consider if you are financially able to support an additional child. On average, it costs $233,000 to raise a child up to the age of 18 in the United States, which equates to roughly $13,000 a year. Before continuing in this process, you should determine if you are able to afford to care for this child.
Prepare Your Home
After you are sure your family is prepared for the possibility of adoption, you should begin preparing your home for any visits from the adoption agency or other necessary parties. Your home should be tidy and prepared for a visit from an adoption official. However, your home does not need to be absolutely spotless, as your adoption attorney and others involved in the process understand that you have a family.
When preparing your home, you should also determine which room will be the child’s bedroom. The bedroom does not need to be decorated, but the allocation of a bedroom and furniture is a good starting point for when the child does come to live with you. From there, you can decorate the child’s room together with some of their interests. In the meantime, you can work on preparing your home in small ways, like getting an extra chair for your dinner table or making space to include their photos with your family photos. Starting small can have a big impact on when your adoptive child visits your home.
Get Ready for the Big Introduction
Meeting your adoptive child for the first time can be an emotional experience. Before the big introduction, you should take the time to mentally prepare yourself. When preparing, make sure to take some time to:
- Set expectations with yourself about the meeting
- Prepare for your first interactions with the child
- Plan to decompress after your meeting
When meeting with the child for the first time, dress casually or as you would for a meeting with adoption officials or your attorney. Approach the child with compassion and understand they may be guarded during your first few meetings.
- Hire A Manassas Adoption Attorney
When pursuing adoption, you deserve the care and guidance of a skilled adoptions attorney to help you navigate the process. Our adoption attorneys at Tobias Iszard, PC understand the challenges your family may face and will do everything in our power to help streamline the process and bring your family together. With something as serious as adoption, you deserve the best.
Are you considering adoption? Call our Manassas adoption attorneys today at (703) 215-1880 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with our team and learn more about our adoption services.
