CHILD CARE
- What are my options for child care?
- Have I researched availability and cost?
- Have I looked at a school calendar to learn the number of vacation days?
- Am I counting on a family member for child care? Is this a sustainable plan?
FINANCIAL SITUATION
- Do I have a cushion should I face unexpected expenses or a period of unemployment?
- Do I have friends or relatives who could provide financial help if necessary?
CAREER/EMPLOYMENT
- What is my relationship to my job and coworkers?
- What are my expectations of myself regarding my career?
- Will a child limit my choices or opportunities?
- What are the demands of my job?
- How much flexibility do I have regarding days off, vacation or work from home?
SOCIAL SITUATION/SUPPORT SYSTEM
- Who will be my child’s legal guardians? Did I ask them yet?
- Who can I call at 2 AM in the midst of a crisis?
- Who could I ask to run to the school, or home to the babysitter, in an emergency?
- Am I, or will I be, involved in the caretaking of older relatives?
- How accepting/supportive are my friends and relatives about my decision to adopt?
- Will they welcome/accept my child?
- Will they understand the many changes my child brings to my life and relationships?
MR/MS RIGHT
- If I am in an ongoing relationship, what does this person say about my plan to adopt?
- Have my partner and I discussed what his/her role in my child’s life will be?
- How will my relationship be changed by having a child?
- If I am not in a relationship, how will adopting affect my dating life?
- Will a child limit my opportunities to meet someone?
Source: Susan Watson, Director of Adoption Services, Spence Chapin