Considering Adoption

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Are we ready to be parents now or to have a second or third child?
• Your reasons for choosing adoption. Why do we want to adopt a child?
• Your age (and the age of your spouse). Will we have enough energy and patience to be parents?
• Future possibilities. Who will take care of our child if we die?

• How do our family and friends feel about adoption?
• Will our parents accept an adopted child as their own grandchild?
• What will we do if our family doesn't embrace our child?

• Who will support us emotionally in our decision?
• Do we know others who have adopted?
• Can we build a support system of blended families in our community?

• Will we be able to accept and love a child who has some medical problems or behavioral issues?

• Will we be able to love and bond with an adopted child as much as a biological one or as much as our other biological children (if any)?
• How do we feel about not being genetically related to our child?

• How would our other children (if any) feel about an adopted sibling?
• How can we minimize sibling rivalry?
• Will our extended family favor our biological children over our adopted child?

• Do we have enough financial resources to provide for a child or another child (if you have children already).

• Do we have enough time for a child?
• Are we willing to make sacrifices such as working less or having fewer nights out to be able to spend time with our child?
• Are you ready for certain lifestyle changes?

• Is our neighborhood child-friendly?
• Are there good schools close by?
• Would we need to move?

• Do we have similar values and agree on certain parenting aspects such as discipline?
• Are we going to work well as a team when it comes to raising a child?

• Do you plan to disclose to your child that he or she was adopted?
• How will you talk to your child and deal with questions regarding his or her adoption?
• Are you confident answering questions?

• Have we allowed ourselves sufficient time to deal with our grief and feelings of loss resulting from our dashed dreams of having a biological child?

• Are my spouse and I both equally committed to adoption?
• Are we both comfortable discussing our thoughts, hopes, concerns and overall feelings with each other about adoption?