Adoption is an option Part 1

You too can explore adoption as an option.

Is it bad that I visit the Adopt Florida website on a regular basis? It’s been a habit ever since I decided I want to adopt a child or two. There has never been a question of if I will have children but when I will have them. I complain about how children act, but more than anything else in the world I want to be a mother. My future goals include being PTSA president and baking cupcakes for my children’s kindergarten classes or having snacks for them and their friends after school. There is nothing wrong with my reproductive organs as far as I know. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I have “child-bearing hips.” And bear some children I shall. But also in the mix I want to adopt.


Adoption has been something I’ve seriously considered since encountering my previous mentee. She was a foster child, but her younger two sisters were adopted. So many older children are left in the system and never get adopted. They are just as worthy of a home as the younger ones. Perhaps that is why I joke that I plan on adopting a 17 year old. Realistically I’m open to ages 4-14. I thought about being a foster parent too. But what if I get attached and the state moves the child elsewhere?

I’m not at a place in my life right now to adopt. I don’t make enough money to support a child, live with roommates and most of all I’m unmarried. While marriage isn’t a necessary requirement for adopting a child, I would like to provide a two-parent household. Ideally I want to adopt first and then birth children. Should I never get married, I’ll proceed with the adoption procedure solo.

To me, children are a gift from God. There are so many who need a loving home. It doesn’t matter how they come into your life. As a parent you are supposed to take the best possible care of them. I think I’ve done a decent job as a mentor. Mommy has a nice ring to it. But there will be no little Toni’s anytime soon. Maybe in 10 years.