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Hey Christian Right, You Just Made My Job So Much Easier!
And to think I’ve been actually working all these years…head scratcher.
By Elaine Gilmartin
Okay, so you want to adopt a kid? Then you gotta meet me.
After you fill out reams and reams of paperwork, proof of residence, birth certificate, marriage certificate if happily partnered, divorce certificate if not so much, employer letter, W2s, bank statements, tax returns, personal references, criminal history checks, child abuse clearances, FBI fingerprint checks, medical statement from your doctor, proof of health insurance, personal statements about your childhood, childrearing philosophy, lovey-dovey statements about your partner, or not, statement on why you want to adopt, why you believe you would be a good parent, agreement you won’t use corporal punishment on the kid, after all that, then I come to your home.
I sit with you at your kitchen table, I go through all your paperwork, ask you questions based on your statements, ask you about your extended family members, ask how they feel about you wanting to adopt and if they plan to be involved, ask how you handle stress and differences of opinion with your significant other, childcare plans. This can be hours if the people are especially ‘chatty.’
