Many people grow up dreaming of having children of their own one day.
For some though, the path to having children is a little bit different.
Making the decision to adopt one or more children is a big one, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
For many parents, there are a variety of reasons that choose to adopt, and in many cases, parents have multiple reasons that make the decision to adopt an easy one.
Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is a major factor for many people that choose to adopt children.
There are many children around the world that need a good home, and there are many prospective parents that feel they have the responsibility or desire to provide one.
Some parents that have already had biological children will adopt later in life for this reason.
Financial Responsibility
Many adults choose to adopt children because they have the means to support them and give them a good home to grow up in.
Some of these parents may be able to have biological children – and some likely already do – but they feel they have a responsibility to provide for additional children because they can afford to.
People with financial security also find that the adoption process is generally easier for them since they can show that they will be able to take care of one or more children with ease.
Some adults that feel they want to be involved in the adoption process because they can afford to take care of multiple children choose to be foster parents instead, providing loving, nurturing homes until a child can be placed with a family permanently.
Many foster parents will take in multiple children at one time.
Because They Were Adopted Themselves
Many adults that were taken in by loving adoptive parents choose to adopt later in life instead of having their own biological children.
Many feel that they have a responsibility to do so because they were well taken care of as children and want to provide the same type of loving home to children that do not have parents with the ability to care for them.
Children that grew up in the foster system but were placed with a loving family often stay in contact with friends from a foster home, and not all are placed in good homes.
In fact, many stay in the foster system until they are 18, never really having parents to take care of them.
Most adopted children that were placed with a loving family realize how lucky they are, and would like to provide the same type of home to a child that needs it since they know how painful it can be to feel so alone as a child.
Infertility
Infertility is a common reason people adopt children.
Couples that desperately want to be parents but simply cannot have children of their own for physical reasons commonly turn to adoption.
For some women, carrying a child to term may be difficult for a variety of reasons, and could be a considerable risk to their health.
Adoption can provide a family for these women without them risking their physical health.
Age
Older adults often choose to adopt children instead of trying to have their own as well.
The risk of birth defects and potential illness often goes up with a mother and father’s age, and many parents that feel they can provide a good home to a child simply choose to adopt instead of taking the risk of having their own biological child.
Older adults are generally more financially stable than younger adults as well, and many feel that adoption serves the greater good by providing a needy child with a healthy home.
When Tragedy Strikes
Some couples choose to adopt a child after losing one, either before they are born or through an accident or disorder like sudden infant death syndrome.
For many people, having another biological child is simply too much to go through after their first child is lost.
Still, many of these people wish to have a family, and adopting a child can help them achieve that without going through the emotional stress of carrying another child to term.
The Decision
Whatever your reason for making the decision, trust that it is a great one.
It is a respectable decision that reflects the character of a person.
To give a child a home and love is the greatest gift you can give them, and know that if not at the moment they will at some point realized just how lucky they are.
Marcela De Vivo is a full-time mom and freelance writer in the Los Angeles area. Her articles range in topic from family, to health, to beauty, with a focus on healthy hair and skin.
