adoption costs Archives

I get asked questions all the time. As a wife of twenty-six years, a mom of ten—seven having been adopted, a homeschooler and a writer of over 60 books people want to know how my life works. Here is one of those questions and my short answer. More to come in the coming weeks!

We want to adopt but live in an apartment and it’s already too tight for five of us. Do you have any suggestions, we only have one income right now.

I love that you have a heart for adoption. I truly know this is God’s heart too. The one thing I can suggest is PRAY. Pray that God will give you the space to match your heart. It’s amazing what He can do! Also consider this may not be the season for you to adopt, but maybe you can bless other adoptive families. John and I adopted seven years after we first felt the call to adopt. Looking back we see God’s timing was best. There are many ways you can support adoptive families: offer to babysit, take them a meal, pick up small gifts from the dollar store. People have stepped up to bless up and it’s been amazing and so appreciated! I trust that as you seek God, and look around for opportunities, He’ll be faithful to lead you.

Suggestions for adoption on one income and a small apartment. #AskTricia @TriciaGoyer

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Recently I wrote this blog post on how to adopt from foster care. I was thrilled by the huge response, but I there were also a lot of questions. I turned these questions over to experts in foster care adoption. Here are the links to those posts:

Adoption from Foster Care: Your Questions Answered, Part 1

Adoption from Foster Care: Your Questions Answered, Part 2

Now, here are your newest questions answered:

Julia DesCarpentrie

Julia DesCarpentrie is passionate about orphan care, adoption and fostering. She has been blessed to live out God’s call on her life in those areas through her work with The CALL (Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime), a foster care church initiative encouraging more Christian families to foster children in need. Julia has been an advocate for the fatherless for 10 years, as both a volunteer and also serving with Hope for Orphans before her work with The CALL. She is also an active volunteer in the community and has served on several community boards. She continues to minister to other mothers and foster/adoptive families through writing and speaking with MomLife Today. Julia is the mom of five children entrusted to her care through birth, adoption and fostering. She and Branden have been married for 16 years.

Q: Stacey asked: Nervous about being denied to foster due to student loan debt. Went through the beginning classes to get started and it discouraged me.

When becoming a foster or adoptive family, your finances will be evaluated. If it is determined that you have debt that needs to be paid down, it is only a pause not a denial. There are so many ways to help kids in foster care or support foster/adoptive families. You can contact your local Department of Human Services office and ask if you can clean & organize their visitation room, bring a basket of healthy snacks for family visits, collect diapers & formula. If you know a foster or adoptive family, take them a stack of freezer meals, offer to help with babysitting so they can have a date night, help with yard work.

The foster/adoption preparation classes can be overwhelming and discouraging as they are to equip you to parent children who have been through trauma. Hopefully by the end of the classes, you will feel equipped, but remember that you will learn to deal with some of the worst-case scenarios, and not all children have serious behaviour problems. Keep your focus on your calling to love children who are hurting and continue to educate yourself. It is also important to find a foster/adoptive family support group or other experienced parents.

Q: Is it harder for military families to adopt from foster care? What about deployment, etc.?

We have had a few military families start and then have to put things on hold due to a transfer. It can be harder for them to adopt if they have moved frequently, but not impossible. Both parents need to attend the training classes. A child placed in the home as a preadoptive placement needs to live with them at least 6 months (depends on the state) before an adoption petition can be filed, so they will need to live in the same location for at least a year. Support is critical for any family, but especially those who do not have extended family close by and when a parent is deployed. Support can be found through local foster/adoptive support groups or church friends.

When facing deployment, try to prepare a child for the loss they will experience. A calendar to mark off the days the parent will be gone may help the child understand that they are not being abandoned and that this is temporary. Frequent visits by phone or over the computer will help.

Resources for pre-adoptive parents: adoptuskids.org/for-families/how-to-adopt

How does foster care adoption work? Your questions answered on @TriciaGoyer’s blog

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