Adoption for Singles Second Edition

Retail price:  Printed copy $29.95

 

 

 Electronic copy $21.95

 

    Adoption for Singles Second Edition is the first of a series of Singleandsatisfied.com books.  It was written to walk single men and women through the process of adoption, whether domestic – private adoption of newborns, or children in foster care – or international.  Single adults are now permitted to adopt in all 50 states, and with 129,000 waiting children in the foster care system, and an estimated 5 million orphans in Ethiopia alone, single parents couldn’t be more needed.  Read about:

• Are you emotionally ready?  What does it take to be a parent?
• How much does it cost? (Hint:  it can be as low as $0!) 
• What age child is best for you?  What is available? Can you get a baby? (Read about two men who got a 14 month old son and newborn twins.)  How about older children?  Teenagers?
• Where do you start?  How long does the adoption process take?  Will anyone help you?  How about after the adoption?
• What do you need to do to prepare you life and home for a child?
• Q&As with single adoptive parents, an adoption social worker, the founder of an adoption clinic, and the Executive Director of The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
• A 100+ page Appendix of all of the countries tracked by the U.S. Department of State and their policies on adopting to American singles.
• Web links to dozens of resources, including an agency directory prescreened for a willingness to work with singles, and forms to help with the process.

Hello!

Welcome to all of you single women and men – straight and gay, all races, all ages – who are considering adopting a child!

Maybe you’ve always wanted to be a parent and realize that time is running out for having a biological child.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to adopt.

Maybe you’ve been watching the news and see that there are 129,000 children awaiting adoption in the United States.  Or that there are millions of others around the world that need a home.

You may be concerned that you can’t afford to do this.  Or that adoption agencies or government agencies would deny you because you don’t own a home, or you earn minimum wage, or are over 50.  Or are gay. Or a single man.

You need to know that agencies are looking for you!  All it takes to adopt is a willingness to love a child, room in your home and your heart for your new son or daughter, and the desire to reach out and start this process.

Let me tell you about this book.  In it you will find all of the information that you need to make this decision.  Here is a description of each chapter:

Chapter I: Decide if This is Something You Can Do Emotionally

This chapter addresses emotional readiness for becoming a parent. It includes

• Looking at your personality, your relationships, how you handle your emotions and get along with others
• Identifying your strengths so that you can make the most of them as a parent, and also identifying where you might need some help
• Your lifestyle, and making space in your life for your new family in terms of time and career
• The need for emotional and practical support from family and friends, and planning for self-care

It also addresses all of the wonderful gifts

• The love of a child, laughter, getting to know this new person in an intimate way, and the companionship of both the child and all of the people that she will bring into your life
• Also discussed is the possibility of grandchildren and a growing family for love and intimacy down the road

Chapter II: The Second Step to Adopting as a Single: Decide if This is Something You Can Do Financially

• How much adoption costs
• A comparison of the costs to adopt a domestic newborn, a child from foster care, or a child from another country
• How do others pay for it?
• Are there grants and loans available for adoption?
• What about employer benefits?
• Tax breaks?
• Also, how much will it cost to raise a child until he or she leaves home?
• And how much will you need on a monthly basis in order to afford the day-to-day expenses of a child?
• Is there any financial help for the ongoing costs?
• What about college?

This chapter will also include charts of the expenses of the adoptive parents interviewed in Chapter VII.

Chapter III: So You’ve Decided This is Something That You Can Do. Now What?

This chapter is designed to help the prospective adoptive parent decide what age child would be best for them, and consequently, options for each age child. For instance,

• Newborns can only be adopted domestically because even when they’re given up at birth for adoption in another country, it takes at least 9-11 months for orphan status to be confirmed to be legally adopted
• The story of Tracey Neale, former WUSA9 news anchor in Washington, DC, and her adoption of twins from Ethiopia
• Toddlers and older can be adopted both domestically and internationally
• Older children can be adopted both here and abroad
• Special needs?  What does it mean?
• What about the 11-17 year old?  They can have a bad reputation, but there are thousands of loving teenagers who desperately want a parent

Chapter IV: The Adoption Process: A General Overview of What to Expect

This chapter will detail and walk you through the process of adopting, whether it be from foster care, a domestic newborn, or intercountry. There are some requirements that apply to all forms of adoption, such as:

• The initial pre-adoption course
• The home study
• Parent training
• Follow up and support

and some that are specific to the type of adoption you’ve chosen, such as:

• The Dossier (for intercountry adoptions)
• Finding an agency, social service department, or attorney.

Chapter V: Homecoming

This chapter addresses preparing your home and your life for the arrival of your new child.  It includes:

• Names and the Adoption
• Health Insurance
• Getting a Social Security Number for your child -- How, why and when to apply for your new child’s social security number, and what documents are required to do so
• Life Insurance: Term versus Whole Life, Universal and Variable Life
• Wills and Trusts: What is the difference?
• Godparents and Guardians: Who would you choose to raise your child if you died?
• Arranging for Day Care, Preschool and school registration: Who, when, where and how?
• How to childproof your home, and how to prepare it for children of all ages

Chapter VI – What if Adoption is Not for You?

This chapter is for those of you who will decide that adoption is not right for you at all, or not right for you at this time.  It will discuss the following:

• Foster Care
• The story of Victoria Rowell, actress, author and humanitarian, who was raised in foster care
• Respite Foster Care
• Mentoring

Chapter VII:  In First Person – Q&As with Adoption Professionals and Single Adoptive Parents

Included in this chapter are:

• Thesia, single mother who adopted from China
• Margaret, single mother who adopted from Ukraine and author of The Pumpkin Patch:  A Single Woman’s International Adoption Journey
• Art, single man who adopted from foster care
• Ron, single man who adopted from foster care
• Patrick Mason, MD, Ph.D., Director and Founder of the International Adoption Center at INOVA-Fairfax Hospital, Past President of the Adoption Arm of the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Natalie M. Newton, Senior Social Worker, Fredericksburg City Department of Social Services
• Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Appendix A: A Directory of 180 Foreign Countries and Their Policies On Adopting to American Singles

In this Appendix, you will learn:

• The availability of children for adoption from each country – how many Americans have adopted from that country recently?
• Age and civil status requirements – can singles adopt?  Men?  How old do you have to be?  How old is too old?
• Document requirements – are there any unusual documents, pictures, references that you need?
• Special information – do you need to work through a local attorney in that country?  Are there unusual costs?  Are there unusual rules? Do you have to contact a government agency there?
• A web address for each country’s State Department information page, for updates and recent changes.

Appendix B:  A Directory of American Adoption Agencies Prescreened for Experience Working with Singles    

A directory of 81 agencies in 33 states that have expressed an interest in working with single prospective adoptive parents, with addresses, including web and/or email, telephone numbers, and a contact person.  It also includes the type of adoption each agency facilitates.  If the agency is not gay-friendly, that is also noted.
This directory is accessed through this website.  A password is included in the book.

In addition, free with the purchase of a hard copy or ebook of Adoption for Singles Second Edition:

White paper on Assisted Reproduction for those of you who decide that you want to have a biological child.  This paper describes the processes of Artificial Insemination and Surrogacy, with links for sperm banks and legal information

Forms to help you organize your adoption information, including:

•     Agency Intake Interview form
•     Agency Reference Interview form
•     Financial Readiness form
•     Deadlines forms:
•     Financial
•     Home Study
•     Dossier
•     Homecoming
•     Adoption Comparison form

You have a choice!  You can order a printed copy to be printed and mailed to you within days, or you can purchase an electronic version that you can download within minutes of completing your purchase.

About the author: 

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Victoria Solsberry, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  I have worked as a counselor, psychotherapist and consultant since 1980, and I am also a Personal and Business Coach.
    

Adoption for Singles Second Edition is the first of a series of Single and Satisfied books, all of which will address important issues of interest to single adults.  As a single woman myself, I believe that whether or not you are actively pursuing a committed romantic relationship, and whether or not you even want one, the rest of your life can be so exciting and fulfilling that a partner would just be icing on the cake.  Living as a single person is different from being married, in more ways than just the obvious.  Everything from planning for retirement to adoption to taking care of all of the details of our busy lives requires a different eye. 

I hope to offer busy and happy singles the tools to make their lives easier.  Stay tuned for my next book, Retirement Planning for Singles.
    

Are you ready to get started?  Ready to take that first step to find out if adoption is right for you?  You can order now.

*Includes instant access to the electronic copy via PDF download (you will need a copy of the free Adobe Reader to access the PDF).  If you decide to order the Ebook, consider doing the following:

•     Print out on 8 ½ by 11 three-hole punch paper
•     Put book in a 2 ½ - 3 inch thick notebook
•     Add pockets for forms, notes, and documents
•     Add dividers for easy access to chapters and forms
•     Add blank paper for notes

Click Here To Order Printed Copy ($29.95)