submitted by Valerie

1. Adoptions fail. This may seem self-evident, given the title of this article, but too often we can get overly optimistic that everything will go "right." In private domestic adoption, about half of birth mothers decide not to relinquish the rights to the child. And for the prospective parent, most fees are non-refundable.

2. Remember the saying "don’t put all your eggs in one basket?" Don’t assume your first
adoption will be your last. Save some resources and have a plan if your first adoption fails.

3. You can do things right and still fail. I read all the books, listened to every podcast and even had
two consults with an adoption adviser. And I still chose a program that was adoption’s equivalent of the
Titanic. My paperwork was hardly complete before it began to sink. There are so many factors in any adoption that there is no possible way to control the outcome. Don’t waste time blaming yourself for making a "poor choice." You didn’t. When it becomes evident that the agency is re-arranging deck chairs, it’s time to head for the life boats.

4. Your adoption is as stable as the country (or agency) you are adopting from. At one time I knew the
politics of the country where I adopting better than I knew the local news. If I had a dime for every
coup attempt in that country, I could pay for ten adoptions. A country that is collapsing is not focused
on your adoption. Although this advice may seem to pertain only to international adoption, it applies
domestically as well. Over 100 U.S. adoption agencies have gone out of business during the recession.
When your agency goes bankrupt your adoption ceases to exist. Stability is king. Or more poetically,
stability is the mother of every successful adoption. Ask for the financial statements of the agency and
study the political situation of the country you’re adopting from. It’s one of the better investments you
can make.

5. Your best source of information is adoptive parents. Agencies are not objective. This is not to say that
they knowingly prejudice, but look at it from their perspective. They know these kids. They’ve seen the
conditions in which these kids live. They are desperate to move these kids into loving families. At least
the good ones are. Adoptive parents, however, have lived the process and they will tell you the real
deal. Join yahoo groups, go to adoption seminars, and ask your agency for references from their clients.
Adoptive parents don’t lie. In fact most are eager to help others avoid adoption heartbreak.

6. Adoption is hard. Our society has romantic ideas about adoption. Early in the process I imagined a quick referral and boarding a plane within months to meet my child in some distant land while foreign but wonderful music played in the background. The reality was miserable. Costly, frustrating, tear-filled.
Sometimes you have to fight for your family even before you have one. Don’t expect handholding,
understanding, or anything to go as scheduled. Expect a battle. If you are one of the lucky ones whose
adoption goes smoothly, you’ll be elated.

7. There is a saying in adoption, "adopting one child will not change the world, but for that child, the world will change." Adoption is a wonderful choice for building a family. Not because it’s easy or romantic, but because it’s a chance to create a family where there once was only a single woman and a child without a parent. But it also requires great strength and a tremendous leap of faith. Be prepared….and then gather all your hope and jump in.

I'm not giving up! I'm exploring other options to become a Mom.

-- Valerie