Pros & Cons of Adopting a Child
For many infertile couples or couples who wish to expand their family by welcoming children who need homes, adoption can be an answered prayer. According to the Adoptuskids website, there were 123,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted, as of 2010. These children may be in system because the birth mother was not married, had no support or had her rights terminated for substance abuse. In the beginning stages, prospective parents, should discuss the pros and cons with an adoption counselor.
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Love and Family
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For a child who's felt unwanted, an adoptive family can provide a loving and stable family. In the case of a domestic infant adoption, it may be the only family the child has ever really known, and the child will grow up secure that his family wanted him.
Psychological/Developmental Issues
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If you choose to adopt a special-needs child, she may have been abused or neglected in her biological home before the parental rights were terminated, so she may have difficulty trusting you and display behavioral issues. If you adopt a child from overseas, the adoption agency may not have an extensive number of your child's medical records, making it difficult to discern background history.
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Financial Issues
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According to the Adoption.com website, domestic, as of 2010, adoptions cost between $5,000 and $40,000, depending on the birth mother's medical bills, state requirements and travel fees, while international adoptions fun around $7,000 to $30,000. However, most adoptive parents qualify for the adoption tax credit, which credits middle-class families $12,000 for each child they adopt, if they meet all the criteria.
Birth Parents
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Adoptive parents often fear, especially with domestic adoptions, that the birth mother will change her mind and take the child back. With open adoptions in which adoptive parents keep in contact with the birth family, it may seem smoother, until the birth mother wants more of role in raising the child.
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References
- Photo Credit family image by Linda Mattson from Fotolia.com
