Creating your family through foster care adoption

November 6, 4:39 PMBrooklyn Infertility & Miscarriage ExaminerCorey Whelan

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www.DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption.org
courtesy Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

November is known as the month of bounty.  Thanksgiving is a time when families come together to share a meal, a football game, or a memory.  November is more than simply a month of family joy and bounty however.  November is also Adoption Awareness Month.

According to Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, 129,000 children in the United States, ages birth through 18, will be without families to call their own this November.  Ironically, there are also literally thousands of adults who are currently hoping that this will be the month they get to create the family they have always dreamed of. 

Adoption may not be the right option for everyone.  But for many, the opportunity does exist to have the family of your dreams, by adopting a waiting child through the foster care system. 

As adoptive mom, Cecilia B. put it, "There are so many children whose lives are broken when they are born, so we looked into adoption.  Our girls are  the biggest joy in our life, in a grander way than we imagined possible.  It is our greatest hope that they will grow up knowing they are loved and have opportunities".

Many people harbor misconceptions and fear about adopting through the public child welfare system.  The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption can help, by providing free resources to help families navigate the waters of foster care.

According to Ms. Soronen, the following are some common myths about foster care adoption.

• Adoption is Expensive.  In reality, foster care adoption is not expensive, and typically averages $0 - $1,500.  Financial support is also available when adopting through foster care.
• Foster Care Kids are Juvenile Delinquents.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Children enter the foster care system through no fault of their own, but through neglect, abuse or abandonment.  These are good kids who deserve families of their own.
• The Biological Parents Can Take the Children Back Whenever They Want To.  Not true.  Once a child has been made legally free for adoption, the birth parents cannot claim a child or even petition for their return.  Foster care adoption is  permanent.
• Single People Can't Adopt.  Not true.  Unmarried people are legally able to adopt in all 50 states.

According to adoptive parents Charlie and Robin R., "The plan was to get married and have a family but it didn't happen that way.  We considered foster care adoption but were afraid.  We received a call about two sisters who were at risk for being separated and needed a permanent home.  We let go of our fear.  The girls called us Mom and Dad from the very first meeting.  It was love at first sight for all of us.  Our daughters are a miracle".

Foster care adoption may not be the right choice for everyone, and that's ok.  But what if this is the way that you were meant to create your family.  If you let go of your fear, do you think you could save a life today?.