For those who have been reading my blog, you'll know that my plans are to adopt from Foster-care. Training will be started, and hopefully finished, in January 2015. I'll then have paperwork to do, but it is less than in the international adoption for sure.
The same training is done for those who want to foster children or adopt from foster care. Generally, before one adopts from foster care, the parent fosters the child. This is during the time when children are hopefully reunited with their parents. That IS the goal of foster care: to reunite with family members. However, sometimes children are immediately available for adoption or it is very likely that parental rights will be terminated. Those are the children I'm more interested in adopting.
I will admit: It is scary.
I will be able to say what kinds of children I'm interested in. I can make a list of preferences with age, sex, race, how many children, what physical, mental and emotional issues they have, etc.
I could decide now that I will not take children who have been sexually abused. I could decide now to only take children of certain racial backgrounds. No sibling groups... all of which depends on my comfort level.
My main question right now is: "Are you really ready?"
Am I ready to get a call saying "We have a brother and sister who have been severely neglected in their home and need to be placed later in the week... Are you ready?" or "Are you willing to take a 4 year old biracial boy this afternoon? He has been abused by his stepfather repeatedly."
I don't know what kinds of children I'm fully comfortable with, but I do feel like I'm ready.
My training will help me in getting prepared. But it is still concerning to me... I need to ultimately decide what to accept and reject as far as backgrounds.
I might have doubts and fears but I do not doubt that I am up for the challenge and that I AM going to be a father someday.
The same training is done for those who want to foster children or adopt from foster care. Generally, before one adopts from foster care, the parent fosters the child. This is during the time when children are hopefully reunited with their parents. That IS the goal of foster care: to reunite with family members. However, sometimes children are immediately available for adoption or it is very likely that parental rights will be terminated. Those are the children I'm more interested in adopting.
I will admit: It is scary.
I will be able to say what kinds of children I'm interested in. I can make a list of preferences with age, sex, race, how many children, what physical, mental and emotional issues they have, etc.
I could decide now that I will not take children who have been sexually abused. I could decide now to only take children of certain racial backgrounds. No sibling groups... all of which depends on my comfort level.
My main question right now is: "Are you really ready?"
Am I ready to get a call saying "We have a brother and sister who have been severely neglected in their home and need to be placed later in the week... Are you ready?" or "Are you willing to take a 4 year old biracial boy this afternoon? He has been abused by his stepfather repeatedly."
I don't know what kinds of children I'm fully comfortable with, but I do feel like I'm ready.
My training will help me in getting prepared. But it is still concerning to me... I need to ultimately decide what to accept and reject as far as backgrounds.
I might have doubts and fears but I do not doubt that I am up for the challenge and that I AM going to be a father someday.