Well,
There is another change in my adoption. The coordinator that I have been working with out of New York is leaving CHI. I just happened to read my emails today. At first when I read it I was a little worried because I was just starting to get use to her. I will miss Susha. She made it very easy for me when I would email her a question. Because I work the night shift I am not always awake during the day (mostly I just agree to what ever is said if the call is before noon).
The next change that I am considering is changing the age range of what child I would like a referral for. Currently, I have the age range down for 18 months or younger. I was considering changing this to 24 months or younger. I know that this does not seem like a big difference to people who are not currently adopting or have not adopted.
I was thinking about making a list of pros and cons to help me make the decision. If I have not touched on a pro or con I would appreciate it if you would post your thoughts about the differences between the two different age groups.
PROS
1. The wait time may be shorter if I extend the age range
2. By using extended family leave little bean will be closer to 36 months which is the minimum age for the Head Start Program in my area.
3. Maybe I will not have to be in Russia during the winter time (Burr)
4. If I had given birth to Little Bean I would have been 34. I know this sounds a little crazy but in MY plan I wanted to have all my children by the time I was 30. Yes I wanted 4 but at 30,000 dollars a piece I do not see that happening unless I win the Mega millions (Oh I forgot that is scheduled for February 2008).
CONS
1. The child will be older and at an increased risk of attachment disorder
2. The child will have spent more time in an orphanage
3. The fee schedule is the same so there is no financial difference
I found this video on you tube that made me start to think that changing the age range would not be the end of the world. I was not able to figure out how to put his into one post so look at the post above/div>
School Days - November 2023
5 months ago
3 comments:
Troy and I considered changing the age range also as we requested 18 months or younger. However, after much dabate and since this is our first child we decided not to. Yes, the wait may be longer, but we don't want to miss out on the 'younger' days. However, that being said - our next one (as soon as we can afford it!!) we will extend the age range. I just want you to know I understand your thinking and will pray you make the decision that is right for you.
Hi, Joy,
We wanted a baby so badly and were even unsure about the up to 18 months range for a while, but we completely would have changed our age range looking back. We love Owen more than anything in the world and are so happy to have him, but we traveled with 2 families who adopted 2 1/2 year olds, and they were still "babies." They were very tiny and needed just as much love and nurturing as our 19 month old Owen :) Our friends Lauren and Jim Beihoffer have changed their preference to up to 24 months for Vietnam too and felt they were being led to do so for multiple reasons. If you are set on a tiny infant, stick with the 18 months or under range. If you enjoy toddlers just as much, I highly recommend it!! We love this age! :O)
Just read your post and watched the video... My dear friend, Joy, no matter the boundaries we put on our children, the Lord will prepare us and our children to become a family. Any child over infant age has a HUGE need to be adopted before much more time goes by. So whatever age you are thinking, I'd say "do it." Your child awaits! (Hug)
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