The Adoption Journey

by Marge Snider

Tatiana and her wife Jen have experienced the highs and lows of the adoption process twice. Though their situation is a little different than most with Jen being the biological parent of both children, their story resonates with all couples hoping to adopt.

Their son “L” was born in 2011, before marriage equality. According to Tatiana, the adoption process was, “stressful, like a roller coaster ride, traumatizing.” Termed a “second-parent adoption,” it mirrored the adoption process most couples face when neither parent is the birth parent, took about nine months to finalize, required a full adoptive home study of the family including background checks, medical reports, references, and financial reports, and it was very expensive.

On the contrary, “G” was born in 2017, after the couple was legally married. G’s adoption was, “a slam-dunk, easy, stress-less journey.” It took about two to three months, consisted mainly of filing paperwork, and also was much less expensive.

Tatiana said she and Jen made it through the turmoil of the first adoption by turning to support groups for adoptive parents. The group also recommended the attorney that ultimately helped them with the process. So now, Tatiana recommends that all families considering adoption to choose their attorney wisely. “Do your research, take recommendations from other families, and join support groups for adoptive parents.”

Looking for a support group? Here’s one to consider:

Rainbow Families of Central Florida

The Rainbow Families of Central Florida private group. A group of families who have members who identify as LGBTQ+.

Their mission is to:

1. Exchange insight and advice from personal experiences in various situations such as adoption and other legal procedures, pregnancy, and child-rearing

2. Offer their kids the opportunity to get to know children from similar families

3. Simply provide a social atmosphere for the families to get together and have fun

Their goal is to get together in a social setting once a month at various locations throughout Central Florida.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowFamiliesofCentralFlorida

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