Home work is Done!

Paul and I finished our homework today. It is a great relief! We will hold onto it until November when we can start the process again. All we have left to do now is fingerprinting, physicals and a letter from insurance on adoption coverage.

Getting Ready for the Adoption Study

It is almost time for us to start the Homestudy process again. I contact our adoption agency to make sure we are square with paperwork and it ends up we have LOTS to redo...refill out the forms, new fingerprinting, physicals... I am glad I asked now because we do not want anything to delay the homestudy start! The good news is that we started down the path of completing our homestudy homework last year, so all we have to do is review, update and answer the new questions. I say that lightly, but it too will involve deep thinking and some time. It will all be worth it though - we are just excited to start focusing on adoption again!

What to say…What not to say. Words of Adoption

Parents who adopt children are real and natural parents...

• Their new child has both birth parents and forever parents

Birth Parents do not “put up” children for adoption.

• Sometimes birth parents do not have the support or resources to take care of the child, but they all have one thing in common…

• They LOVE the child and want what is best for him/her.

• That is why they made an adoption plan or placed their child for adoption

• Children are in need of a family, not hard-to-place.

All children have a right to their privacy.

• Reasons and circumstances about why a child was adopted is their story.

• It is their choice if they choose to share this personal information.

What adoption is not

• A disability with which to cope…Say “he/she was adopted”…Not “is”

• Any less real of a family than a family made by birth…Say “this is my son/daughter…Not “adopted son/daughter”

What it means…putting it in perspective

• Natural child: Any child who is not artificial

• Real parent: any parent who is not imaginary

• Your own child: any child who is not someone else’s child

• Adopted child: a natural child, with a real parent, which is all my own

Adoptive families begin in a different way, but they are families, just the same as other families.