Search Results for: blog adoption options for single parents adopting from the child welfare system

Our 2nd Placement Meeting

With the first placement meeting we had pictures of the brother and sister that we were put in for, we had their names, we knew their history and we even started buying clothes for these two children that we just knew were going to be ours. We had been showing everyone we knew the pictures of the two kids that we would soon call our own. The call that came after that first placement meeting brought such sadness to my husband and me, the unimaginable loss that we experienced where they decided to give the brother and sister we were … Continue reading →

International Adoption Options for Single Men

Just as there are women out there who’ve never found their partner but have always wanted a child, there are men in that position also. However, different countries have different criteria for adoptive parents, and most countries either do not allow singles to adopt or allow only single women to do so. Single men can usually adopt from the U.S. child welfare system, probably the most common option for single men. International adoption opportunity are fewer: China, one of the two countries having the largest numbers of children adopted by U.S. parents, used to permit single parents to adopt (including … Continue reading →

October: Adoption Blog Month in Review

In the adoption blogs for October you’ll find several series: one series on research on “how adopted children turn out” and the genes-vs.-environment question, one on giving back and how adoption makes the world seem a bit smaller, and one on single parent adoption. Media reviews included a workbook helping parents imagine what an inter-country move might be like for their child and think through related decisions. I also reviewed a wonderful resource for parents who think their child may have been exposed to alcohol prenatally. Another review was of an incredible story of an Ethiopian woman who runs two … Continue reading →

International Adoption Programs Open to Single Parents

As I mentioned in my last blogs, U.S. adoptions are open to single men and single women. In international adoption, two of the more well-known countries with adoption programs welcoming single parents have had big changes in their adoption programs recently. China has announced that it will no longer be open to single parents. Guatemalan adoptions are in flux as we wait to see whether Guatemala will comply with the Hague Convention on International Adoption. If it does not, adoptions to the U.S. (a signee of the Hague document) will cease. Although there is hope that adoptions currently in progress … Continue reading →

Adoption Options for Single Parents: A Newborn?

Can a single parent adopt a newborn without going through the foster care system? Yes. Domestic adoption of infants is usually open or semi-open. In these adoptions, the birthmother chooses the family she would like to parent her child (from parents who have completed a homestudy). Some birthmothers do want a two-parent family for their child, so single parents may wait longer to be chosen. However, some birthmothers have been very open to single parents. In these cases the birthparents and adoptive parent negotiate how much openness they are comfortable with. The birthparent and adoptive parent often meet before the … Continue reading →

Adoption Options for Single Parents: Adopting from the Child Welfare System

Unmarried individuals may wonder about their options for parenting. Certainly parenting a child who needs you is an admirable goal. Some individuals may not feel they can parent without the support of a partner. Certainly the support for you and the role modeling for your child are advantages to having a partner, but many single parents do adopt successfully. As one children’s worker stated, “All children really need to thrive is someone who’s crazy about them.” Perhaps you can be that person for a child. The U.S. foster care system is very open to adoptions from single parents. Older child … Continue reading →