Adopting a Child As a Single Parent

The adoption process, according to adoption expert Jill Boyer, works to rule people in, not rule people out.  This system wants to include as many qualified potential adopters as possible, because there are so many children who are looking for a good home. This process includes potential parents as young as 18, no upper age limit, same sex couples, and single parents.  In fact, couples and single parents are considered the same legal entity in the eyes of the adoption process.

According to Susanne Bohnet, the government is actually supportive of single parent adoption. Finding out that single parent adoption is allowed or even encouraged may surprise many people.  The most common question could be, “Why would an adoption process allow or encourage someone to adopt all alone?”  A single parent trying to adopt is never alone during the adoption process. The parent is one part of an intricate support system of social workers, attorneys, parents, agency works, relatives, and all sorts of people trying to find a child a good home.  The single parent may be the only person at home with the child, but not far away is a team of people looking after the child’s welfare.

While single parents are encouraged to adopt, the process can take longer than couples, according to adoption attorney Felice Webster.  While the government may support single adoption, the system does prefer couples. Because of this, the process may take longer than usual.  Expressing enthusiasm, unique qualities, and overall positivity to the reviewing personnel helps create the most compelling case for getting approved to adopt.

Although being a single parent of an adoptive child has its own set of challenges, it also has its advantages.  With an adoptive single parent, there will most likely never be custody issues with another parent.  Often in separation or divorce issues, the parents cannot live too far apart because of visitation rights or custody issues.  In the case of adoptive single parents, the family is free to go wherever they wish at any time without having to worry about seeing another parent. 

While most likely a harder and more time-consuming process, adopting as a single parent is far from impossible.  With work and enthusiasm, a single parent can provide a stable, welcoming home for adopted children just as well as two parents.  Though it does come with its own set of challenges, single parent adoption is a perfectly viable and fulfilling option.