Studies show the majority of families that have adopted were motivated by infertility or by simply wanting to expand their family.
My wife and I are no exception. We battled infertility for years before starting our adoption journey. I know it can be easy to find reasons why not to pursue adoption, most of them coming from fear of the unknown.
Thousands of families have thought about adoption, but many have not followed through. Let’s bust through the fear and help you become a family that chooses adoption.
Here are 5 reasons why you should begin your adoption journey NOW:
1. Availability
One of the misconceptions about domestic adoption is there are not enough available children (especially infants) in the U.S. so you should adopt internationally. Here are some facts to show you this is not true.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) recently conducted an adoption study where it found that 3/4 of all adoptions were domestic. Of the domestic adoptions, half were from foster care and half from private adoptions.
According to the 2007 DHHS study – among all adopted children a total of 677,000 were adopted by families through private domestic adoption.
The majority (62%) of these children were placed with their adoptive family as newborns or were less than one month old. The bottom line is that domestic infant adoption happens more than any other type of adoption. You can do it too.
2. It doesn’t take as long as you think
Contrary to what a lot of news outlets are reporting, it doesn’t take years and years to adopt an infant from the U.S. The average domestic private adoption takes less than 2 years. The wait is not an easy time and it depends on a lot of factors such as the adoption professional you choose (ie. agency, facilitator, attorney).
My wife and I waited about 9 months to have our daughter placed with us in 2007. The earlier you get started on the adoption process, the earlier you will add that special baby to your family.
3. Funding your adoption
You may think money is a reason not to adopt since private domestic adoption costs can be $25,000 to $40,000 or more. You can make this affordable and here’s how:
√ The federal adoption tax credit which is currently $13,360. This means you can get a credit, not a deduction from the government when you adopt. Consult your tax professional for more information.
√ There are organizations and resources to help you afford your adoption such as www.helpusadopt.org and the book Adopt Without Debt by Julie Gumm where she goes into great detail about how she and her husband were able to adopt without going into debt.
4. Blessings
Many people look at adoption as only a blessing for the child. While this is certainly true, the often overlooked blessing is for you the adoptive parents. My wife and I struggled with starting our family, having a miscarriage and infertility problems that took years to go through. We decided to pursue domestic infant adoption and we’ve been extremely blessed by our children and their birthparents. If you’ve struggled to start or add to your family, adoption is a great option. When you bring the baby home, you’ll experience how much joy that little one can bring to your family.
5. Time
Let’s face it, none of us are getting any younger. There really is no “perfect” time to start the adoption process. Even though you won’t know how long you will wait to adopt, God knows the perfect time for your family to grow.
You just need to take the action and start the journey – let God handle the hard parts. Don’t let fear stand in your way – start the journey. There are plenty of us who have adopted that can be your support. Check out this Facebook group if you want to connect with us.
So – how do you start?
Read my post How to adopt: What is the first step to start your domestic adoption journey?
QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
Where are you in the adoption process? Are you overwhelmed with how and where to start?
Email me or enter comments below – I’d love to talk with you about your domestic infant adoption.
