What I’ve Signed Up For

Last week, I turned in my official adoption application. The stack of paperwork was about an inch thick. One of the forms was a questionnaire about what type of child I am willing to adopt. A part of me felt like I should say I’d be willing to take anything. But I want to be the best possible parent for any child I end up adopting, and I know I wouldn’t be the best possible parent for every child. So I filled out the form. Here is what I’ve said I am willing to adopt.


Any gender
Any race/ethnicity
An individual child or sibling group (up to 3 children)
Between birth and age ten
No developmental disabilities
Mild emotional disabilities, or less
Moderate learning and/or physical disabilities, or less
No recorded history of cruelty to animals or setting fires

I know this list of wants is pretty broad, and my kid(s) could take many different forms. But I’m still really excited. They say the adoption process takes about the same amount of time as it takes to grow a kid (about 9 months). At this point I’m only two months into the process, but two months is enough. I’m starting to feel a lot like an expecting new mom.