One of the most common concerns in adoption is the finances.? Although it needs discussion, it should never deter a family from adopting.? All children cost money to come home to their families, whether biologically or through adoption.? It is just that we usually have insurance to help with medical costs of a biological child.? Adoption is like a delivery without insurance.? You could have costs similar to an unassisted home birth all the way up to an emergency c-section with a NICU stay.? For instance, you could adopt through the foster care system with little to no cost all the way up to a drawn out international adoption.? No matter what your story is, all children cost money.
We have 4 children through adoption and there are many people over the years that have said there were more cost efficient ways to adopt.? The truth is, though, these were our children and we would have gone anywhere and done anything to bring them home.? For all of them, we used methods to connect us with lawyers that processed our paperwork.? With our daughters? international adoptions, we had an organization here in the states connected us with a lawyer in country.? The fees associated with working with them were necessary in an international adoption.? They assisted in the care at the orphanage, paid the paperwork and lawyer fees, organized trips, provided escorts when needed and kept us abreast of movement in our adoption. Using an independent organization is not typical as most countries people adopt from are a part of the Hague Convention and require accredited agencies to be used. Our daughters? birth country was not a part of the Hague Convention, and this organization and lawyer were the best route for us.
Last year, we brought home a son domestically as a newborn.? For his adoption, we also didn?t use a conventional route for adoption.? We weren?t new to the adoption process, but we were new to the domestic protocol and programs.? We made a decision to add another fee to our adoption journey.? It was a decision we have never regretted.? We found an adoption consultant.? It was a pretty spectacular experience for us and one I recommend now.? We used Tracie with Christian Adoption Consultants.? Tracie was kind and encouraging.? As an adoptive mother herself, she is intimately aware of what families are going through and sensitive to their individual journeys.? She was our guide through the adoption process.? She could help with every step of the process, from creating a profile to raising finances to matching with agencies and birth mothers.? Having gone through adoptions and home studies before, her most valuable role to us was to network with accredited agencies throughout the country that met our requirements.? She did the leg work for us, reducing the wait time immensely.? We signed on with her on a Tuesday and on Thursday, we were matched with the lawyer that would help us find our son.? The lawyer?s fees were comparable to that of other adoption agencies.? The following Thursday, we were matched with our son?s birth mother.
All of the time, new resources and people step up to aid in connecting families with children in need.? An adoption consultant is a new and brilliant way to take the stress out of the unknowns.? It is like putting an expert in your back pocket.? Quite honestly, even just a year later, the money we poured into bringing our son home?even the ?extra? costs, are a distant memory.? I would have done a thousand fundraisers to bring him home.? You can?t really put a price tag on investing in a child, can you? He was so worth it, and it was money well spent.
About Cate Johnson
Cate Johnson has been married to her best friend, Sean, for 10 years. She is the mother to their three Haitian princesses who came home forever in 2008. They also brought home a son domestically in March 2011. She is passionate about Jesus, photography, writing and adoption and attachment. She also loves coming alongside prospective adoptive parents as well as those struggling through transition and attachment. Cate blogs about all of these topics and more at Gathered From Afar and Attaching Hearts.Source: http://www.scottsdalemomsblog.com/2012/07/26/adoption-consultants/
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