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If you’re considering adoption, you already know that it isn’t always an easy process. That said, adoption can be an incredibly rewarding way to invite another member into your family, despite the challenges. Below, learn some facts about the adoption process you may not have considered previously, and speak with an experienced New Jersey adoption lawyer when you’re ready to begin the process.
1. Find support for the adoption process
Adoption can be drawn-out, discouraging, and expensive. You may not know anyone personally who has adopted but want to be able to discuss your experience with someone who understands. There are options for finding a support group to help you and your family get through the process. If you’re adopting through an agency, many offer adoptive parent support groups. You can also find forums online, as well as Facebook groups that provide a place for you to talk about the challenges and joys of adopting.
2. Remember that not everyone “gets” adoption
Some people—even people close to you—may not understand why you want to adopt and raise children who aren’t your own. If your children do not appear to be biologically yours, strangers may even ask rude questions about where they came from. Don’t let these questions and comments discourage you, and remember that most people mean well but are simply lacking in understanding.
3. Don’t forget that you are now your child’s forever guardian
No matter how many people ask about your child’s “real” parents or ask how you got them, never forget that you will become as real a parent as your child will ever have. The circumstances leading up to a child being available for adoption are often traumatic ones, and there may be challenges along the way as your child works through those scars. You may need to turn to outside help at times, but that doesn’t make you incapable, and it doesn’t mean your child isn’t still lucky to have you as their parent.
4. Find the right attorney to advocate on your family’s behalf
Legal issues can arise in nearly every aspect of adoption, especially if you’re adopting from overseas and wading through the bureaucracy of two separate countries to bring your child home. If you’re adopting directly from a birth parent, or even as a stepparent to your spouse’s child, you may encounter a biological parent or family member who suddenly wishes to assert their right to contest an adoption. If you have an experienced attorney by your side, these issues are more likely to feel like manageable bumps along the road and not a potential death knell for your adoption.
For more information on adoption in New Jersey, contact the experienced and dedicated Englewood adoption lawyers at Herbert & Weiss for a consultation on your claims, with additional offices in Englewood at (201) 500-2151.