How to Consider Adoption

By eHow Contributing Writer

Do you want to join the ranks of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Madonna? Then why not adopt a baby. All kidding aside, adopting a baby can be stressful for everyone involved--it's not as easy as you might think after seeing celebrities doing it all the time. At times it may involve grieving for the mother, who may be confronting the fact that she may never experience childbirth. But the joys of being a parent are the same, whether you become a parent biologically or through adoption.


Recognize that this isn't a decision that you and your spouse are going to make overnight. It takes time--sometimes years--to process what this will mean for your family. Look into all the aspects of adoption, the cost, choosing an agency and deciding whether you're going to adopt domestically or internationally. Consider whether you would want to adopt an infant or an older child. You should also determine whether you want to adopt a child of another race or with special needs.

Realize that adoption usually doesn't come cheap. There are agency fees to consider and if you go international, you have to consider lots of travel to meet prospective children, their families and background checks.

Learn all you can about adoption by reading books on the subject, finding information online and by talking to other adoptive parents about the adoption process. They can enlighten you as to the costs and the amount of time the process takes. They can also talk to you about the paperwork involved, the home study and any parenting classes you might have to take.

Take comfort in the knowledge that parents who are blessed with both biological and adopted children report that their feelings toward the children are the same. Your adopted child will be yours just as much as a biological child would have been, and the love you feel for them will be just as strong.