Important Decisions to Make When Choosing Adoption

By Sheryl Rentz on June 21, 2013

Adoption can be a rewarding and life-altering event that allows couples or single parents to provide a safe, loving home to a child in need. However, making the decision to adopt and going through the process comes with a wide range of obstacles. If you are thinking about adopting, the following considerations may be helpful:

• Commit to your decision. While infertility issues tend to drive parents toward adoption as a last resort, lingering feelings of loss or failure may cloud the adoption process. Carefully examine whether you can fully commit to adopting a child when pregnancy is not an option.
• Consider domestic or international adoption. Both options have a variety of pros and cons. Domestic adoptions tend to take more time and have stricter requirements, while international adoptions come with many unknowns, depending on the region. No matter where you decide to adopt a child, it’s important to investigate the diverse adoption processes available to you.
• Do you want an open or closed adoption? This decision will depend on how confidential you want the adoption to be. An open adoption will allow you to have contact with the birth parents or at least learn some information about them, such as medical history or ethnic background. A closed adoption, on the other hand, bars disclosure of both the biological parents and adoptive parents’ identities.
• Choose a lawyer that specializes in adoption law. In order to finalize an adoption, parents must hire a lawyer to legalize the paperwork. A lawyer that specializes in adoption will provide the best guidance through the difficulties that often arise throughout the adoption process.
• Keep your expectations realistic. It’s important for adoptive parents to understand the special circumstances of the child they wish to adopt, including their medical history, developmental status, and the conditions in which they were raised in order to keep a realistic perspective. Children that have spent more time institutionalized may develop long-term issues that adoptive parents can prepare for, especially with the help of a medical professional.

The Montgomery County adoption attorneys at the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz provide caring and compassionate legal representation to help parents through the adoption process. We will help you understand your options, and work with you each step of the way. Contact us at (610) 645-0100 to learn more about how we can help you.