A Heart to Call Home

A Heart to Call HomeSeptember 5, 2008, will be a new holiday that my family will celebrate every year! Its better than birthdays, even better than Christmas; it is a real Thanksgiving as we become a true family! My husband will adopt my two oldest children. My son is twelve and my daughter is ten. They are aware and very active in our process to secure our family unit. My husband and I were married three years after we began dating. We took things slow and allowed the children to adapt to a new man and a new situation. This was their first experience with a two parent family. As time went on they witnessed his love and support for our family as a whole and each one of us individually. In a short time, they realized that this man made their house a home. Together we decided to explore the thought of adoption. From my husband and my point of view we wanted all rights to the children to be ours. From their point of view, they wanted the security that they would be taken care of in the environment they were accustomed to, in the event of a tragedy. ғStepparent adoption is the most common form of adoption. The process however still had as many steps as any adoption. First, ԓto adopt a stepchild both parents must give consent; a spouse and the other parent. By giving consent, the noncustodial parent gives up all rights and responsibilities, including child support. Their biological father agreed adoption was in their best interest. Our lawyer advised it would be best and time efficient to file for relinquishment of rights at the time of adoption. This proves that someone other than the caregiver is willing to assume financial and legal responsibilities for the children. Next, we received the petition for my husband, me, and my son to sign. ԓA child who is age 12 or older must consent, unless the court finds it in the childs best interest to waive consent.Ҕ Then, we went through a home study visit. My husband was required to have at least four non-family reference letters. The counselor had individual sessions with each child .She also completed an in-depth look around our home. The final step came when my husband received orders from the judge of our county to get fingerprinted and sent into the state for a criminal background check. Now, we each have our own calendar we cross the days off till September to celebrate the birth of our family!Works Cited"Administration for Children & Families." U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. 02/26/2008. Department of Health & Human Services. 22 July 2008 <http://faq.acf.hhs.gov>."Stepparent Adoption." Child Welfare Information Gateway. Child Welfare Information Gateway. 28 July 2008 \Ashley Vancleave Canyon TX