Adoption Basics
If you've ever stood in a checkout line at a supermarket, you've heard of international adoptions. Each week there's a story about yet another celebrity adopting a child from overseas. To see this, you'd think overseas adoptions were a breeze. Maybe it is for them, but for the average person who wants to adopt a child from another country, the process is anything but quick and easy but it is becoming less and less so.
International Adoptions Now Closely Monitored to Protect ChildrenSince 1993, many international adoptions have been regulated by The Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption. This is an effort by participating nations to look out for the best interests of the child by preventing the abduction, sale, trafficking and exploitation of children that have plagued overseas adoptions in the past. The new regulation stablishes a central post in each of its 75 participating countries to supervise and aid parents who are looking to adopt a child from overseas. This doesn't mean that private adoptions aren't allowed so much as it requires such services to be accredited or approved before an adoption takes place. Even if a someone wants to adopt a child from a non-Hague country, the Convention requires that the parent be given whatever information is available.
Adopting Children Overseas
Every country has its own standards and practices for children's international adoption. As expected, they all have requirements about things such as age, income, number of other children in the home and general stability. However, some countries go a bit further when investigating a potential adoptive parent. For instance, Thailand and Armenia don't allow adoptions from single parents. Even if a country does allow international adoption of children to single people, some will require that the parent be of the same gender as the child. Some countries, such as China, will also require that the same-gender parent be heterosexual. Many countries will require a long-term residency and/or a dual citizenship, and will give preference to parents with similar ancestry. Indonesia, a country that is very strongly Muslim, even requires that a parent have a belief in God! As you see, the different countries have a lot of laws and regulations potential adoptive parents need to consider.
Regulations Guarantee Children Better Family Matches
While some countries allow you to adopt an international child very young, many countries have the children in orphanages with limited contact with the outside world. Children from this sort of environment can have developmental delays and emotional problems, although they often adjust very quickly. You need to consider that many of these children lost their parents through things like war and illness, so they might not really know how to handle being around adults or people in a 'family' setting. These children also might not have a sense of cultural or racial identity, which is another thing you may want to give an internationally adopted child. You need to consider how you will be able to provide this. Learning the language of the child's country of origin is a big part of this, so you'll need to decide whether this is something you are willing or able to do. She will eventually ask where she came from, and you'll need to have an answer for her.
Finally, there is the word many of us are afraid of today-money. This might be why it's so easy for celebrities to adopt international children; they have the funds to take them through the entire process. Many countries tack on exorbitant fees in addition to what the agencies charge. These are usually in the thousands. Can you handle this? You've also got to consider how you will pay to get to the child. Can you afford to set up residence or have an extended stay in another country, if required? Even if extended stays aren't mandatory, can you handle going back and forth? How many times will you have to do this? Will taking so much time away from work and other things be a problem? If you are married and only one of you is required or able to make the travels, can you deal with being apart? Finally, can you afford to pay for the child to travel to be with you? Unlike what you hear about celebrities, it's not very common to be able to take the child home with you right away. There are programs available to help you raise the money for the fees, but they won't pay everything and most of us can't afford to pay that much out-of-pocket.
As you can see, there's a lot to think about when considering adopting a child from overseas. It's not anywhere near as quick and easy as the number of tabloid stories would have you believe. I'm not saying any of this to talk anyone out of an adoption overseas. In fact,anyone who is willing to take such a big step needs encouragement because adoption in general can be a very challenging process. Even with the costs and considerations, giving a child in need a home in your heart is probably one of the most rewarding experiences a parent can have. Good luck!
