Am I Too Old to Adopt?

Maybe years ago you talked about adoption but never pursued it. Deep down in your heart, you wish that you had acted back then on that dream. Or maybe you just started wondering about adoption for the first time. But, now? Well, now you're kind of thinking: But are you, really? Every country has different laws regarding parental age limits in adoption. Because I'm most familiar with domestic infant adoption, I'll speak to that. In the United States, you will find people adopting domestically up into their forties, fifties, and even some into their sixties. Are you in that age range and healthy? Then legally, you probably aren't "too old" to adopt. Adoption laws aren't holding you back...

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Do I Have What It Takes To Adopt?

Adoption is a beautiful gift but there are many fears and falsehoods that keep people, even people who are seriously considering adoption, from pursuing it. So far in this series, we've talked about the hindrances "I could never afford to adopt," "Is there really a need in the U.S.," "Birthmoms are scary," "My spouse will never agree," and "Can I really love a child I didn't give birth to?"  Here is another common fear you may be wrestling with: Being a parent is not for the faint of heart. It's tough and it's tiring and it's complex as much as it is rewarding and joy-giving. Our daily weakness and failures can weigh heavy on our hearts as we consider the enormous responsibility we have...

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Can I love a child I didn't give birth to?

So far in this series, we've covered the following fears and falsehoods that can be hindrances to adoption: "I could never afford it," "Is there really a need in the U.S.?" and "Birthmoms are scary." Let's look at another common fear: Can I love a child that I didn't give birth to? It's something whispered in hushed tones, something few are willing to vocalize even though many considering adoption are thinking the same thing. Amidst the fears and falsehoods hindering people from pursuing adoption, this may be the most paralyzing of all. If you've considered adopting but haven't been able to move past this question, you're not alone. Why? Why is that such a common fear as people are considering...

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What About Birth Moms?

In this series about "Adoption Fears and Falsehoods" we've looked at the falsehoods, "I could never afford to adopt" and"Is there really a need in the U.S.?" as well as, "My Spouse will never agree to adopt." Today I want to look at another very common obstacle for families considering adoption. It's this myth: Birth moms are scary. It's important to point out from the start that many of our fears surrounding birthmoms are both irrational and inaccurate. The majority of the women who place their child for adoption are not at all like the "boogeymen" that dramatic television has portrayed them as. Let's think about who these women really are and what they are really doing: Countercultural: They...

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What If My Spouse Isn't Ready To Adopt?

When you're considering adoption, a variety of fears and falsehoods start popping up in your mind. So far I've shared about the following: "We could never afford to adopt!" and "There's not really a need in the U.S., right?" Today I want to touch on another very common hindrance to pursuing adoption. It's this concept: What if my spouse isn't ready to jump into the adoption process? Ouch. This is a hard one. I've been there. It's a really difficult spot to be in-ready to pursue adoption while your spouse isn't. It's equally difficult to have your spouse ready to adopt when you aren't in agreement. If this is something you're dealing with, you are not alone. I'm serious. I hear from couple...

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Is There Still A Need for Adoption?

When you're considering something as huge as adoption, there's bound to be some fears and questions that come up. In the first post in this series, I talked about the falsehood that says, "We could never afford to adopt!" Today, I want to focus on another falsehood that almost kept us from pursuing domestic adoption. The thinking goes kind of like this: "There's millions of kids languishing in orphanages all across the globe with no hope of a family. In the U.S. all I ever hear about adoption is the big waiting list and the years and years and years it takes to bring home a child. Surely there is not really a need for domestic adoption." This much is true: there is a tremendous need for...

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How Can You Afford Adoption?

We had many questions and fears when we began considering adoption. We thank God that those obstacles didn't keep us from the gift of our sweet little boy! But those fears and questions matter-they shouldn't be ignored.  It's important to think through your fears and examine them. One of the main thoughts that can prevent someone from actually pursuing adoption is the issue of money; how can someone afford to adopt? This concern is pretty understandable.  Adoption is so expensive!  If you've had the desire to adopt but feel like there's no possible way you could afford it, you're not alone.  In fact, the majority of adoptive couples have thought that very same thing....

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Things That Hold Us Back From Adopting

Last week, I shared about some of the amazing things we would have missed if God hadn't moved us past our fears and questions about adoption.  In short, we would have missed this little boy: I know that God's been stirring some of you to consider what you might be missing as well.  I'd love to talk a bit more about some specific fears can hold us back from adoption.  In the next several posts, I'll cover some of the most common hindrances we can get stuck on.  Things like: - What if I don't really love/connect with a child I didn't give birth to? -  Birth parents freak me out. -  Adoption takes forever-aren't there huge waiting lists to adopt in the U.S.? -...

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What We Would Have Missed

It's been over a year now since our beautiful baby boy was born. He has definitely changed our lives for the better. (Go ahead, you can say it-he is so stinkin' adorable!!!!)  If you catch me on any given day, I'm likely to gush about how amazing my son is and how much we love him.  But there's something else that echoes around in my brain and heart about adoption that won't be silent, something that haunts me when I dwell on it for too long; we could have missed this.  We could have missed being this incredible little guy's parents. There was a time when we thought about adoption and dreamed about it but that was as far as it went.  Every day of everyone's life is busy...

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Why You Should be Amazed By Her

I want to tell you a little bit about why you should love Titus' birth mom. Titus' birth mom placed him for adoption BECAUSE SHE LOVES HIM. I can't not cry as I think about this. (I cry about this regularly, actually!)  She carried him for nine long months.  She willingly gained weight, lost sleep, felt uncomfortable, etc. for a child she knew she was not going to raise.  Abortion surely made itself readily available to her and she could have ended his life but she chose not to.  She chose not to because she wanted him to have the opportunity at life.  She gave him life because of her selflessness. Every time I kiss my baby's chubby cheeks-it's because of...

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