Is Our Family Too Big To Adopt?

There are many fears and falsehoods out there about adoption such as: "I could never afford to adopt," "Is there really a need in the U.S.," "Birthmoms are scary," "My spouse will never agree," "Can I really love a child I didn't give birth to," "Do I really have what it takes," and "I'm too old." Today, I want to share about another falsehood that hinders people from adopting. It's this assumption:

Can a "large" family adopt domestically? Yes! But the requirements for adoptive families vary from agency to agency. Some agencies do not let families with a certain amount of children adopt through them. But not every adoption agency works that way. If you've been told by an agency that you have too many children to pursue adoption, don't let that stop you from continuing to learn more.

It makes me so sad when I run across a family that says, "We wanted to adopt but were told by the agency we couldn't because of our family size." Not every agency has those specific perimeters! It is indeed possible for a "large" family to adopt domestically if you find the right agencies. At Christian Adoption Consultants, we have loved working with many "larger" families. We take a multi-agency approach and point you to multiple agencies and attorneys across the United States who are happy to work with "larger" families.

That may lead you to ask another question: do expectant mothers ever choose a larger adoptive family? Every expectant mom is different and so each will differ in the hopes and preferences she has for the family that will adopt her child. Some expectant moms don't prefer to place their baby in a home with any children at all, some want a home with only one or two kids, and some are not at all deterred by large families. In fact, some expectant moms specifically desire a larger family.

If God has given you a desire to adopt, please don't let the idea that your family is "too large" stand in your way! I recently had a CAC family with seven children chosen by the very first expectant mama that they presented their profile book to. If God wants your family to bring home a child through the gift of adoption, He is able to bring that about.

(For more information about domestic adoption, please contact me at katief@christianadoptionconsultants.com.)