[misslissa9]

Hi there,

I have been lurking here for a week or so and thought that I would introduce myself.

To bring you up to speed on why I am here... I'll give you a quick overview

DH and I have always considered adoption and want to have some biokids and some adopted. We don't really care if they are newborns or older, but my heart goes out to the ones who are older because I can't imagine being that old and seeing no end to the current lifestyle in sight.

I grew up with my bio (paternal) grandma and overall had an excellent experience. This has lots to do with my motivation. I felt like I had such a good life that I want to give someone else that opportunity. I also had experience with separation/divorce between my grandparents who I refered to as mom and dad. I had no idea they weren't my bioparents until I was around 7 or 8 yo. I had many problems with actually an abduction by my biofather (taken to the other side of the country during custody proceedings and recovered by the police), and didn't meet my biomom until I was 15. Again though, I feel incredibly blessed and now successful and I want to pass on my knowledge and love to another child.

DH and I are 27 and 24, has anyone else adopted when they were this young? I'm scared of this being an issue. Another thing is that we both work full time. Does anyone else do this? Is it an issue?

We always keep our eye out on the current "Waiting Kids" but to be honest, none of the circumstances or children really touched our heart until recently. There is a little girl who is 9, she is the same background as myself. Same interests. I don't know anything really about her past, but we are becoming members of the adoption counsel to find out.

I have done quite a bit of reading here and elsewhere on the internet and I agree with some of the other posters that some experiences do sound terrifying! I was on here last night until late into the night actually, just reading your experiences. And, I felt like giving up, but DH said 'no, we still have to try!'. I agree. I can't stop thinking about this girl. I'm just so full of questions. I hope you guys can give me some answers. And, is anyone else from Canada?

Thanks, I look forward from hearing from you.

[jbee]

dh and i adopted our fs when we were 27 and 28. we have been fostering almost 3 years and we are 28 and 29 now. we have 2 bios, 5 and 3. you are not too young.

[Mkuhlmann06]

You are definitely NOT too young. As for working full time it is also NOT an issue. You just have to figure out what child would fit into your home as a result of that (i.e. will you take 6 weeks off for an infant, or do you want a school age child, etc). Keep in mind until the child is adopted, you cannot just have any person babysit them, they must have all necessary clearances.

Also, it's hard not to get your heart set on a child you see on the websites. We all have. Please note, that many times they only accept families already certified or approved (homestudy complete), so by the time you are, that child is probably no longer available. Also, websites aren't always the most up to date so the child may already not be available.

The stories can be scary, but also keep in mind there are just as many good ones. We have had a very successful older adoption experience - there were definitely bumps and ups and downs... but overall, it has been an absolute blessing and he's a fantastic kid! (He just turned 12 and he's been with us just over 10 months).

I know there are a few people from Canada. You may want to post some questions either in foster care area or special needs.

Good luck!

[kretzklan]

We were scared during our process (IA). We continued to tell ourselves that we were as prepared as we could be and we had a plan. I must say that knowing what could happen helped us alot. Our process has been bumpy - but we are all doing SO great at 2.5 years! Our kids are amazing (they are 9 and 10 now) and I think with your background - you'll have an even stronger understanding to share and help a child along!