If you’re ready to be a parent, but marriage isn’t in the foreseeable future for you, you may be considering adopting a child. While that didn’t used to be a possibility, it’s becoming increasingly common. In fact, some children do better in single-parent homes.
Michigan allows qualified, unmarried people to adopt. It should be noted that a person who is separated but not yet divorced from their spouse can’t adopt as a single parent because people who are legally married must adopt as couples. Stability – whether it’s a happily single person or a happily married couple – is crucial when adopting a child who may have been through a great deal of instability in their young lives already.
Financial stability and a solid support system
Adoptive parents, whether single or married, don’t have to be wealthy. However, they do need to show that they have the financial resources to raise a child to adulthood. That typically involves having not just steady income but savings that will allow them to continue to care for their child if they were to lose their job.
Prospective single adoptive parents do need to show that they have a reliable support system. This is essential for any single parent. It can include family, friends and paid caregivers who can step in if they’re sick or have an emergency or critical work obligation that prevents them from caring for their child.
While having a job is typically crucial to adoption, it should be one that allows for plenty of time to be a parent. A job with long hours or an ever-changing schedule or one that requires regular travel is not conducive to raising a child alone. More and more people are able to work from home some, if not all, of the time. This can make adoption a possibility where it might not have been in the past.
Many adoptive parents start with fostering
In many cases, adoptive parents start out by fostering. This can be a particularly good strategy for single people. Fostering a child – while just as critical to that child’s well-being as adopting them – can help someone get used to the delicate balancing act that is single parenthood.
Adoption can be a daunting process – especially if you’re going through it without a partner. Having experienced legal guidance can make a big difference.