The Options

Mick and I had discussed adoption for many months and even years before we actually got the ball rolling. It was something we both wanted to do and we needed to make sure we were ready for it, both physically and emotionally as well as somewhat financially.

There are many routes a family can take to pursue adopting a child. There are government adoptions which are through the foster system. These waiting children are generally older and may or may not have disabilities.  There are sometimes sibling groups. Social services tries to keep the children with their biological families whenever possible and this can often result in numerous foster homes or back and forth for the children. This can be hard on both the adoptive or foster parents as well as the children.   Placements may happen faster and there are less upfront costs. We went to a meeting outlining the process for foster adoptions and  we think that this might be a route we will take in the future to grow our family.

A second route would be international adoptions. I have always wanted to adopt a child from Africa as this continent is near and dear to me. There are a few African countries open to adoption but unfortunately and fortunately, due to corrupt governments and child trafficking, the rules are getting stricter and some countries are closing their doors. While it is great that these governments are cracking down on incorrect practices  it is expanding the wait time for families waiting to bring their children home. It can also result in ballooning costs and unexpected fees. We are looking at adopting from Ethiopia which has stringent rules for adoption and has a great track record from both agencies and previous adoptive families. Costs for adopting from other countries such as China or Russia can climb upwards of $50,000! A US adoption is also considered international and has large fees.

The third way to adopt is to pursue domestic adoption. This is the route we will be taking for our first child. We will be doing an open adoption, which studies have proven is better for all three parties involved, especially the child.  Essentially, the birth parent(s) choose us based on our profile and we develop a relationship with her/them. We could be meeting a birth family that might live in Fort McMurray and we'd have to travel there when our child is born.  While the concept of an open adoption is still a bit scary, we are confident in our decision.

If you have any questions about the process or open adoption in general, feel free to leave a comment or email us directly at crystalandmick at gmail.com. We are definitely not experts but we will answer them as best as we can!

Until next time.