What If My Partner Doesn't Want to Adopt? - Weekend Wisdom
Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care
01/10/26
•15m
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Question: How do you deal with the emotions of not being able to adopt or foster because your husband doesn't share the desire?
Resources:
- A Reluctant Spouse: When Only One Partner Wants to Adopt
- I Want to Adopt. My Partner Does Not.
- Creating a Family Online Support Group
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Previous Episode
How to Adopt in 2026
January 7
•49m
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Are you considering adoption to create your family this year? We’ve got answers to all (or most) of your questions. Join our discussion with Molly Berger, MSW, who has been with the Adoption Center of Illinois for 12 years as an adoption social worker. She counts it an honor to work with adoptive families and expectant parents.
In this episode, we discuss:
Part 1: Domestic Infant Private Adoption in the US
- What is the process?
- What are the reasons that pregnant moms are placing their children for adoption?
- Explain the matching process. How do expectant parents find and choose adoptive parents?
- What is The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)?
- What is Open adoption? Why do expectant parents need to educate themselves about open adoption?
- What special needs are common in domestic infant adoptions?
- How long does it take? What factors influence this time?
- How much does it cost? What factors influence this cost?
- How do failed matches impact the cost of adoption (that is, when an expectant mom decides to parent rather than go through with an adoption plan)?
- What are the differences in adopting via an adoption agency or an adoption attorney?
- What is the first step prospective adoptive parents should take if they are interested in adopting a baby?
Part 2: Adoptions From Foster Care in the US
- What is the process?
- How do you adopt your foster child (one who has already been placed in your home)?
- How do you go about adopting a waiting child, or one who is not currently placed with your family?
- What are the reasons children come into foster care in the US?
- What ages and races of children are most commonly available for adoption from foster care?
- What are the typical special needs prospective parents should expect to consider?
- How long does it take to adopt from foster care?
- How much does adoption from foster care typically cost?
- What is the first step prospective adoptive parents should take if they are interested in adopting from foster care?
Part 3: International Adoptions to the US
- What is the process to adopt from another country?
- What is the Hague Treaty, and why is it important for prospective parents to understand?
- What types of special needs do we most commonly see in children available for adoption from abroad?
- How long does international adoption take? What factors influence this time?
- How much does it cost? What factors influence the expenses?
- What is the first step prospective adoptive parents should take if they are interested in adopting internationally?
- Understanding Transracial/Transcultural Adoption
- What is transracial adoption?
- What should prospective parents understand about raising a child from a different culture than their own?
- What are racial mirrors, and why are they valuable for a family considering transracial adoption?
Resources:
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Next Episode
How to Afford Adoption
January 14
•42m
Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks!
Are you considering adoption this year but concerned about how to swing the cost? Join us for a practical conversation about managing the expenses of adoption with Ryan Hanlon, PhD, former president of the National Council for Adoption, an adoption advocacy organization dedicated to research, education, and policy in the service of all members of the adoption community.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How much can hopeful adoptive parents expect to pay for adoption?
- Domestic infant adoption?
- Adopting from foster care?
- International adoption?
- What do these expenses cover?
- Most hopeful adoptive families do not have access to large lump sums of $25,000 and upward. So, what are the different options they can pursue to help them afford an adoption?
- Adoption Subsidies
- Adoption Grants/Loans
- Adoption Tax Credit
- What other methods are available to families to afford adoption? And can you explain the pros and cons of each so families can get a well-rounded view of what to consider?
- Increase savings / Decrease spending
- Increase income via a second job, selling things (things you own that you don’t want/need/use; things you can create or offer as services)
- Employee benefits programs
- Crowd-sourcing and fundraising, asking for money from family and friends (can be particularly controversial in some circles; take care in sharing the child’s story, etc.)
- If a family chooses to fundraise, can you offer a few tips that might help them protect the child’s story and proceed ethically?
- Also related to fundraising, what types of fundraisers do you see as most effective? (offering a service, event, or experience vs. donations only, etc.)
- How far in advance do hopeful parents start some of these efforts to afford adoption?
- Can you explain the Adoption Subsidy in more detail? How do hopeful parents determine if they qualify?
- Where do they go to learn about financial resources to help them afford adoption?
Resources:
- The Adoption Tax Credit
- Foster Care Adoption Subsidies: What is Reasonable and How to Negotiate
- National Council for Adoption
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
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