Adoption

Take this quiz to see whether you are ready to become an adoptive parent. ...

Adoption for Stepfamilies Adoption is one area that's easier to navigate for stepfamilies than it is for non-stepfamilies. (We found an easier area! Hurrah!) Adoption after a parent has died is simplest. It can get confusing—not to mention leg...

Stepparent Adoption Step-Speak One's biochild is one's birth child. Adoption is a legal procedure in which an adult becomes the legal parent of someone who is not his or her biochild. Relative adoption is adoption by somebody related to the chil...

State Public Adoption Agencies Each state has a central adoption office based in the state social services headquarters. These offices are primarily concerned with the adoption of foster children, but in most cases, state adoption personnel are ...

Selected National Adoption Agencies The following national adoption organizations provide information and support on adoption and adoption-related issues. Some specialize in a particular area, such as children with special needs, whereas other o...

Adoption: Obtaining Birth Records Adoptinfo Keep in mind that not everyone is aware of the state registries and not everyone chooses to use them; consequently, searchers shouldn't depend solely on the state registry but may also wish to register...

Government Funding for Adoption Federal and some state governments now offer a number of benefits or reimbursements for some adoption costs. Federal laws also require employers that provide health insurance to give the same insurance to newly-ad...

Fears About Your Adopted Child's Search Many adoptive parents have powerful negative feelings about the idea of an adoption search. Should they feel guilty? I don't think so. I think they should feel human. But frankly, they don't have much to wo...

Adopted Adults Who Search for Their Birthparents To search, in adoption terminology, means to seek out a biological relative. Most searchers try to locate their birthmothers, sometimes followed by a search for the birthfathers. Some searchers tr...

Disrupted Adoptions Some adopters decide they cannot handle severe physical, emotional, or psychiatric problems that show up in their adopted child. What happens when a child's behaviors fall too far short of the parents' expectations? Researche...

Adoption: Single with Children Every state in the United States allows single people to adopt. As a result, marital status isn't a legal barrier to adopting a child anywhere. At least, not officially. Many adoption agencies and attorneys, howeve...

Troubled Adopted Children This section is about more serious behavioral and psychological problems that some adopted children sometimes have, problems that are difficult for them and for their parents. They may stem from earlier abuse or from a ...

Raising Your Adopted Child: Problems Adoptinfo An adoption issue is a problem that preoccupies and distresses an adopted child and is related to adoption. For example, fear that a birthparent might kidnap the child is an adoption issue. So what ...

Adoption: Dealing with Genetic Differences Some adopters have difficulty accepting a child who looks very different from what they envisioned. (However, most adopters don't have a problem with the fact that their kids probably won't look much li...

When You Are Turned Down as an Adoptive Parent Rejection doesn't happen much in adoption, because most families who think they might get rejected by an agency drop out of the home study process before it ends. But once in a while, a family is su...

Explaining Adoption to a Child: Handling Sensitive Situations In many cases, parents can tell their children that birthparents made a positive choice to place them for adoption. But sometimes the situation was not so upbeat or easy to explain. H...

Explaining Adoption to a Teenager It's important that children know they were adopted before they reach adolescence; it's too turbulent a time to suddenly surprise them with the news. Even if your teenage child already knows, however, he may sti...

Explaining Adoption to a School-Aged Child As children grow, they start to ask even tougher questions about adoption. For example, if the birthmother was poor, why didn't someone give her money so she could be a parent? Or, if she wasn't ready t...