[JocelynC]

Hi. i'm new to this site! I'm somewhat different from alot of you ladies. I'm 21 yrs old, graduating from college in Dec & heading off to grad school. However, once my grad program is done in 2-3 years and I have a job, one of the first things I want to do is adopt a child. All my friends think i'm a nutcase, but it's been a dream of mine to have kids.

There are so many out there waiting for a forever home, why should I have my own when I can open my home and heart to one of those children who needs it?

So I've been spending my summer getting application materials together for grad school and and also starting to look at the adoption process and what it entails. Sidenote: who KNEW there was this much info out there?

I've decided to look into public agencies (our county children's services office), since they're a bit more open to singles and younger parents.

Has anyone here chosen to adopt through your county/state children's services dept. instead of through a private agency? What were your experiences? Any feedback is appreciated.

[Yash]

Hi Jocelyn C,

I'm adopting through a private agency that works pretty much exclusively with the state's foster care system.

Adopting through the state's fost/adopt program is definitely not for the faint of heart. It can be a long, taxing journey. I've been told by my agency that my adoption has been an easy, I would disagree yet having met other families, I think they may be right. My 6 month adoption is now at 18 months and counting, though I hope to finalize sometime in July.

I recently met a mom who brought her son home from the hospital at 3 days, he will be 6 in September and they still haven't finalized. Ouch!

The ease at which you adopt depends on various factors, where you live, how open you are to age, race, sex, a child's medical history. Most babies adopted through the system have been drugged exposed to varying degrees.

I live in Los Angeles and I was matched with my son after being a certified fost/adopt parent for almost 2 months. He was 5 days old when he came home.

Best of luck in grad school and with your future adoptions,

Yash