Adoption is a confusing process to many people, and the media generally doesn’t make it easier. There are many misconceptions/myths about adoption that are false but are, to many people, “common knowledge.” Unfortunately, this can cause some negative connotations with the term instead of the truth. The whole purpose of adoption is to provide all children with a loving family that can and will care for them and accept them into their family. Here are 5 adoption myths and the truths about them:
“Only married people can adopt.”
Adoption is meant to combine people with children and make them a complete family. To many people the term “complete family” does not mean marriage. Married people often adopt, of course, but there are no legal restrictions on whether or not you have to be married to adopt a child. Same-sex couples still cannot legally marry in many states, which is a common concern in terms of adoption; however, if you are capable of raising a child, you can adopt. The same rule goes for single people looking to adopt.
“You can’t adopt unless you’re rich and have a big house.”
It’s not news that raising a child is expensive; however, you don’t have to be “rich” to adopt. If you can support the child with food, water, a bed, a roof, a healthy environment, safety, and an education, then you can adopt. There are adoption requirements that you have to meet in order to raise a child, but boatloads of money is not one of them. Think about it: if a child was dropped into your life right now, could you support him or her? Besides the financial requirements, your child does not even need his or her own room, although it’s highly recommended. The child only needs a bed by law; however, if you have multiple children, you need to meet other legal obligations such as living requirements of children over the age of 6. Contact us if you’re interested in adoption, but aren’t sure if it’s possible. We’ll help you find out if you can support a child for sure.
“There aren’t really that many children up for adoption.”
This statement is so far from true that it’s really mind-boggling how it came to light. There are over 100,000 children ranging from all ages, from infant to full-grown adults (age 21), waiting to be adopted. Where this myth originated is unknown, but it’s entirely false.
“Adopted children have more psychological problems than biological children.”
Adopted children are no different than birth children. An adopted child has the same genetic probability of having a disorder as a birth child. On top of this, an adopted child is raised in a similar environment to a birth child, resulting in similar psychological states. Actually, studies have been done that showed there are very small negative impacts of adoption on children and it does not result in higher chances of any social problems or mental disorders, contrary to popular belief.
“All adopted children will never see their birth parents again.”
Although possible, it’s entirely dependent on the type of adoption the family goes through. If the family uses open adoption, a child could reconnect with their birth parents in the future. In many cases, the child doesn’t even desire to reconnect with their birth parents, so this is myth is only partially true. Learn more about the differences between open adoption and closed adoption here.
If you have any questions about adoption feel free to contact us today. We’re more than happy to provide answers to any questions you may have.