Wednesday, February 10, 2016

SECOND PARENT ADOPTION

When I meet with anyone who is interested in adopting, I am looking for a person who can provide a nurturing, secure, stable and loving home for a child. I want to be certain that they are prepared to meet all of the  child's medical, psychological, social,  academic and recreational needs. I want to assess their potential for parenting, including their ability to be flexible and resilient. I want to be sure they understand that adoptive parenting is different; that it adds a   complexity to their own and their child's lives and to their family. LBGTQ families are no different. Whether there is one mom or dad, or a male or female couple.

In fact, how an LGBTQ individual or couple have handled their "coming out" and  integrated into their family and community is a good indication of how they will handle another personal and family life event. 

Many LGBTQ families and heterosexual couples who are blending families (including the adoption of one another's children) choose to pursue a Second Parent Adoption to legalize the parental relationships of both adults in the family. WHAT'S A SECOND PARENT ADOPTION first appeared in the American Fertility Association (now known as Path2Parenthood) Annual Guide. 

I am honored to have been part of so many adoptions of children in LGBTQ and blended families and look forward to many more to come.

Kathy Ann Brodsky, LCSW is a New York and New Jersey licensed social worker, adoptive mom and advocate for ethical adoption practice. She has prepared thousands of adoption homestudies, counseled adoptive parents and parents-to-be, and has trained professionals to work with adoptive families. She was Director of the Ametz Adoption Program from March 1992 to March 2015. She is Head Writer for Adoption.net, member of the Adoption Advisory Board of Path2Parenthood and has a private practice in New York City. She was a member of the Advisory Board for POV’s Adoption Series and named an “Angel in Adoption” by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption in 2001. Follow or reach her at ADOPTION MAVEN BLOG or EMAIL.