Adopting an adolescent may not be suitable for everyone, but there are many excellent reasons to do so.
Teens Need Families
Teens have the same need for parental guidance as younger children. They require assistance navigating the often perilous seas of middle and high school, instruction in driving, and guidance in life skills such as maintaining healthy relationships and budgeting. They want direction and assistance in choosing a college, technical school, or work as they decide on a professional path. Teens require a parent who will applaud their accomplishments and teach them from their failures. Adopting a teenager allows a person to serve as a mentor and good role model. Because adoption is a lifelong commitment, an adopted parent’s responsibilities do not end when a kid becomes an adult.
Adoption Has Lifelong Consequences
How would it feel to attend college without someone to assist you move into your dorm or apartment, or without a family to visit on the weekends and holidays? What are the implications of getting married without a parent to sit in the front row or escort you down the aisle? What if you do not have a doting grandma who can assist you during the birthing process and your initial weeks as a parent? How about purchasing your first automobile or home?
It is fantastic to have a parent present during such memorable occasions, but parents are equally essential during the “regular” days of our life. Most of us take it for granted that we can contact our parents for guidance or encouragement, or even simply to say “hello.” Despite this, many adolescents age out of foster care without a unique bond.
While all children require a permanent family, adolescents are far less likely to be adopted than younger children. Consequently, teenagers age out of foster care daily. Many who reach adulthood become homeless, jailed, or have substance abuse issues.
Young adults with families of support have better results. If you want to make a difference in a child’s life, adopting an adolescent may be a viable choice for you.
Numerous chances exist for bonding and engaging with adolescents. Teens enjoy a range of activities with their family, including concerts, movies, reading and discussing literature, hiking, and meal preparation. Teens flourish when we share our experiences with them.
A View from an Adoptive Mother
Jane Jones, who adopted a teen (now a young adult), is speaking from personal experience when she says: “Numerous adolescents in the foster care system have had several interruptions and rejections throughout their lives. They may make it quite difficult to support them while they “test the waters” of your devotion. However, they all require a safe harbor, someone they can turn to even while they forge their own way (as all young people do). Adopting an adolescent provides them with a source of counsel, reassurance, and acceptance. If you are able to commit to a youngster, you WILL alter his or her future, which benefits all of us.”
Adopting a teenager may be a highly gratifying experience for both the adopted adolescent and their adoptive family, despite potential obstacles. Numerous adolescents in Texas are looking for someone to give them a chance. Would you consider welcoming an adolescent into your house and heart? Be the hero a youngster needs!
For more information, contact A World For Children at https://www.awfc.org.
