Dear Future Adopting Parents,
Having a child is a great endeavor and opens the door to a new way of life, but for many people getting a child through traditional means isn’t very easy or even possible, and for these cases, there are alternative family planning methods. These people tend to go for one of two popular methods: In vitro fertilization (IVF) or adoption. With adoption, parents have the choice of either foster care, independent agencies, international, etc, to adopt a child that lacks a permanent family. I write this to help you consider and ease your decision of adopting a child to give them a forever home. Adoption has many benefits for parents and especially the children, giving them a much-needed intimate connection, as well as saving money for the parents compared to other options for family planning, while also helping society by preventing homelessness in young adults stuck in foster systems by giving them a home before they can lose it. Adoption has the power to influence the difficult lives of children in foster systems, relieve them from the harsh conditions they may find themselves in and although not as obvious, it helps the taxpayers. Citizens indirectly pay for homeless programs, and adopting children prevents young adults from becoming stuck in the system and thus homeless on release. The overcrowding of adoption agencies makes it hard to get the individual attention they need, as well as emotional support from the caretakers which makes it so easy for many to fall into homelessness, which may be even harder to get out of.
In California, the cost of adoption is about $1000 and sometimes these costs get alleviated by reduced fees or even reimbursements. IVF on the other hand costs thousands of dollars for every round when only about 50% of these are successful if you fit the age criteria. Not to mention hospital bills and other costs, which add up, even more, up to $38,000 or even $70,000 for a c-section birth.
Children lack basic knowledge in most things which is why they need someone to guide them through the tough and easy. Guidance is given in the best ways when it is built in a family home, making adoption critical for the future of those without a home. It is sad to say that, a lot of the older kids in the foster system take up caring roles for the younger ones, they sacrifice parts of their own childhood to assure that kids get the emotional connections and care they deserve.
Giving a child a place to live builds the foundation they need to make a living, which dramatically drops the chance they would become homeless, especially more so than if they stayed in the foster system or adoption agency. It goes without saying the homeless crisis in California needs some addressing, adopting children out of foster care aids in this problem to make lives better for everyone. Adopted children can live a life with less worry about their future and what they will do in life. This also benefits the new kids coming into adoption systems by freeing up space so that those that have to stay are given more attention and a better shot at life.
Although most parents would prefer to have biological children and experience the journey that comes with pregnancy, adoption provides a journey nonetheless. Children are given a more stable life and a loving family that anyone can enjoy even if not there since birth, one with highs and lows. The importance of being a family is more about the experience one gets and the joy of seeing the outcomes of the parents raising the child. Family can be formed no matter the genetic relationship and the environment that a child is raised in, and the future that children and families get built is more than a matter of DNA.
Adoption is especially important because it is life-changing, most of us would not know what it's like to grow up without our beloved parental figures, it is a large part of life that kids in these agencies simply lack. It is sad to see so many young adults trying to fight for a better life only because they were not given equal opportunities like other family-born children. People looking to adopt can make a real difference and change the course of children's lives forever. If you are thinking about adoption then it is worth considering all of the impacts it really has, going beyond a good life and family but also helping overall society since the homeless problem affects everyone.
