Adoption
Options
New here - H and I are planning to adopt in the future.
Hi!
We are still a long way off from this, but I am a planner so I like to think things out...a lot. Lol.
Anyway, I was wondering how you decided between a domestic or international adoption? I am very conflicted on this issue. And, if you wouldn't mind sharing, what were the deciding factors in coming to your decision?
Any resources that I should look at?
Thanks!
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Re: New here - H and I are planning to adopt in the future.
Adoption for dummies is a great book.
We decided against international bcause of all the travel. We would like an open adoption if possible and I couldn't imagine flying across country a few times per year. That's just us though.
Good luck!
For us it was an easy decision. Lots of kids here in the U.S. so we are looking at Domestic.
Best of Luck
We want to do domestic infant adoption. We don't have the vacation time and resources to pursue international adoption, and since we want to adopt an infant, domestic was a better route for us. I am also personally hinky about what seem to be shifting rules as to what countries are open or closed to US adoption.
But it's really a personal decision. There are some people who adopt internationally because they have family members from particular countries, or they're worried about open adoptions or the higher possibility of disruptions with a domestic adoption. It's all in what you're comfortable with.
I really liked Adoption for Dummies. Any of the "beginner" books will be a good place to start. It might even help you figure out the best adoption route for you.
Good luck.
For me, I was told by several domestic agencies that the wait for me would be pretty long since I already have a son and daughter. So that basically steered us clear from domestic. Plus, for us personally we were not interested in an open adoption. It also wasn't important to us to get an infant, as this is our third child so we did the infant thing twice (which by the way is wonderful!) Lastly, we chose Korea because we can't travel so we can get our daughter escorted home to us.
I liked Adoption for Dummies like someone else said. Good luck! There is no wrong or right answer.
Any option you choose will work out for YOU 
I usually just stalk these boards as it will be about 2 years before my husband and I start the adoption process but thought I'd say hi since I saw another far-off planner. When do you plan on adopting?
I am currently reading Adopition for Dummies and it has a ton of great information. We are still trying to decide if we should go international or domestic.
Thanks for all the input! I will pick up a copy of Adoption for dummies.
Stevyandchary - we are not sure when we will adopt. The plan right now is to have both biological and adopted childen, we haven't ironed out all the details yet though!
We flipped from IA (original plans) to DA because IA became difficult for us due to some health history.
But in deciding, it helped us to vet out what we were "looking for" in adoption. Was an newborn infant important? If not, what age ranges were appealing (IA can range from 4-6 months upward). Are you interested in parenting a child from another culture? What concerns do you have about adoption and what programs fit it best? Are there health issues that would not fit into your preferred child profile? Finances and time off from work can also help you decide on a fitting program.
Good luck!!