As you begin preparing for adoption, setting goals can be powerful; you’re accomplishing milestones which you set for yourself. Today, we’re encouraging you to think about your adoption goals for 2018.
Setting goals is just the first step in achieving them — you need a plan and a system in place to keep you on track. We hope that in the New Year you find the resources you need for a successful and safe adoption, and a renewed hope as you look forward to the day that you’ll adopt a baby. Here are 8 goals to set when preparing for adoption:
1. Listen to one adoption webinar a month
Make sure to attend our free adoption webinars and participate as much as possible. Lifetime’s webinars are packed with lots of great information! Visit AdoptionWebinar.com to learn more.
2. Read (at least) 12 adoption books this year
Books are one of the most inexpensive ways to learn. There’s so much knowledge just waiting to be uncovered in your journey towards infant adoption. One book a month is a reasonable goal to set. Check out Lifetime’s Recommended Reading for Adoptive Parents to get started!
3. Add to an adoption savings account each month
By adding more to your savings now, you’ll be able to cover adoption expenses later. Consider adding $50-100 per month to a savings account you open specifically for your adoption. To make this goal non-negotiable, set up automatic transfers every payday.
4. Take care of yourself
By taking the time to take care of yourself in the ways that you need to be supported physically and emotionally, you’re able to be your best self. After all, you can’t do your best work if you’re rundown and exhausted.
Make this goal specific: set aside time specifically for yourself into every day. Maybe that’s your time to read, workout, or watch your favorite TV show. There is no shame in taking care of yourself.
5. Follow adoption-positive accounts on social media
Keeping a positive attitude throughout the adoption process can seem challenging, especially if it seems like you’re swimming upstream. There are many adoption professionals and non-profit organizations posting new content every day to Facebook and Instagram. Not only is this a free way to learn more about adoption, but their positive posts can be a big mood booster!
6. Find ways to appreciate your marriage every day
Enjoy your final months as “just the two of us.” After you adopt, you’ll go from the two of you to the three of you. You can appreciate your partnership and strengthen your marriage by going on a vacation and spending time together. Cherish these memories, because you’ll be making new ones with your child!
7. Follow what your adoption professional tells you to do
This might mean completing/updating your home study or following their recommendations on your profile. Don’t take it personally when you get critiqued on your profile. And it’s so important to keep your home study up to date. There are horror stories out there of adoptive couples who weren’t able to adopt because they had an expired home study. You don’t want this to happen to you!
8. Invest in your upcoming adoption with intentional prayer
Prayer and support is needed, no matter what type of adoption you’re seeking. You might find support with a prayer partner, your small group at church, or even in an online adoption support group. God wants you to succeed in adoption. He has a plan for your life and your family. This fact must in your mind and your heart during your adoption journey. Seek Him out in prayer with all the longings of your heart.
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
I want to adopt a baby
Hi Susan,
Thank you for reaching out to express your interest in adopting through Lifetime! You can learn more about our services and how to get started by visiting Lifetime’s website or giving us a call at 1-800-923-6784.