Adoption For Dummies

You hear all sorts of things said or implied about adoption. Some
information comes from people who know a lot about it, while some
comes from people who don't know anything about it but make
assumptions anyway. Some comes from people whose experiences have
been good; some from those whose experiences have been bad. The
result? Enough conflicting information to make your head spin.

So when everyone has an opinion and most of the books on the
market deal with specific aspects on adoption or particular types
of adoptions, where do you turn to for reliable information?
Start with Adoption For Dummies.

The great thing about this guide is that you decide where
to start and what to read. It's a reference you can jump into
and out of at will. Just head to the table of contents or the
index to find the information you want. Each part of Adoption
For Dummies covers a particular aspect of adoption,
including:

• Answering the basic adoption questions - How
  much does it cost? Who's involved? How long does it take?
  What do I need to know that I don't know to ask? And
  more.

• Getting started - and figuring out what steps
  you have to take.

• Dealing with birthmothers and
  birthfathers - and why, even though they may not be
  part of your life, they're still important to you.

• Confronting the issues adoptive families
  face - issues from sharing the adoption story with
  your child, to answering your child's questions about his
  birthparents, to handling rude family members who treat your child
  differently than her cousins.

• Finding help - from books, resources, and
  support groups.

No adoption book - at least no adoption book
that you can carry around without a hydraulic
lift - can tell you everything there is to know
about adoption. What Adoption For Dummies tells you is what
you need to know, all in an easy-to-use reference.

Auteur

Tracy Barr is the coauthor of Latin For Dummies and
contributor to World War II For Dummies and Religion For
Dummies.

Katrina Carlisle, BSW, LSW, is a social worker with 14
years experience in adoption and child welfare agencies.

Résumé
You hear all sorts of things said or implied about adoption. Some information comes from people who know a lot about it, while some comes from people who don't know anything about it but make assumptions anyway. Some comes from people whose experiences have been good; some from those whose experiences have been bad. The result? Enough conflicting information to make your head spin. So when everyone has an opinion and most of the books on the market deal with specific aspects on adoption or particular types of adoptions, where do you turn to for reliable information? Start with Adoption For Dummies.

The great thing about this guide is that you decide where to start and what to read. It's a reference you can jump into and out of at will. Just head to the table of contents or the index to find the information you want. Each part of Adoption For Dummies covers a particular aspect of adoption, including:

• Answering the basic adoption questions How much does it cost? Who's involved? How long does it take? What do I need to know that I don't know to ask? And more.
• Getting started and figuring out what steps you have to take.
• Dealing with birthmothers and birthfathers and why, even though they may not be part of your life, they're still important to you.
• Confronting the issues adoptive families face issues from sharing the adoption story with your child, to answering your child's questions about his birthparents, to handling rude family members who treat your child differently than her cousins.
• Finding help from books, resources, and support groups.
  No adoption book at least no adoption book that you can carry around without a hydraulic lift can tell you everything there is to know about adoption. What Adoption For Dummies tells you is what you need to know, all in an easy-to-use reference.

Contenu

Introduction.

Part I: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Adoption but
Didn't Know Whom to Ask.

Chapter 1: Adoption Basics.

Chapter 2: Sorting It All Out: Types of Adoptions.

Chapter 3: The Adoption Process from Beginning to End.

Chapter 4: The Gasp Factor: What You Can Expect to Pay.

Chapter 5: Who Can Adopt?

Chapter 6: Building a Family through Adoption: Is It for
You?

Part II: Getting Started and Moving Forward, One Milestone at
a Time.

Chapter 7: Getting the Ball Rolling: Finding an Agency or
Lawyer.

Chapter 8: Thinking about Your Future Child.

Chapter 9: Applications, Home Studies, and Other Really Fun
Stuff.

Chapter 10: Doing Hard Time: The Wait.

Chapter 11: A Child's Available! Now What? Placement and
Follow-up Visits.

Chapter 12: Here Comes the Judge: The Court Appearance.

Part III: Birthmothers and Birthfathers.

Chapter 13: God Bless the Birthmothers.

Chapter 14: Birthfathers and Their Role in Your Adoption.

Chapter 15: Keeping in Touch: Meetings and Contact with the
Birthmother.

Part IV: Issues Adoptive Families Face.

Chapter 16: All in the Family: Issues You Deal with at Home.

Chapter 17: Beyond the Family: Dealing with Outsiders.

Chapter 18: What Can Go Wrong and What You Can Do.

Chapter 19: In Search of . . . Birthparents.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 20: Ten Great Books to Read to Your Kids.

Chapter 21: Ten Support Groups for Adoptive Families.

Chapter 22: Ten Helpful Web Sites.

Index.