The adoption process is different for each family and each child. There are difficulties and challenges that vary from each agency, orphanage, state and country. Choosing to adopt internationally is a major decision and one that comes with its own unique set of setbacks and expenses. Georgia families should understand the issues that are associated with the international adoption process, so that they can be better prepared for whatever they may face.
Though the joy of adopting a child is unlike any other, the stress on finances and emotions is also very real. One family understands the heartache that can come with adopting a child from another country all too well. The adoption of a little boy from Kyrgyzstan should have been relatively quick and easy, but has turned into an almost five-year ordeal. After seeing a picture of a baby boy with a cleft palate and lip whose mother had left him at a hospital, the couple immediately fell in love and began to work to bring him into their family.
The couple traveled across the world to meet their future son; they were supposed to have a court date in a month, but it never came. The government in Kyrgyzstan had shut down all adoptions. Over the years the family has included their child’s picture and his name on their cards, waiting to bring him home. The couple paid for his surgery and told their two little girls about their older brother. This family is not alone in their wait for the adoption to be completed but are part of a group of families waiting to bring children home.
People wonder why this couple has spent over $50,000 and so many years of their lives waiting and preparing for their child who is growing up without them. Even amidst all the struggles they have faced, the couple still believes that every child should have a family and they refuse to turn their backs on their son, no matter what. Believing in the importance of giving children a home of their very own is a major motivator in deciding to adopt. Georgia families looking into adoption should be prepared for whatever challenge may present itself, while remembering why they are doing it. Every child deserves to have a home and to be loved.
Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia, Family’s Adoption Efforts Stretch 5 Years, Sara Hofius Hall, Feb. 15, 2014
