While I feel stuck and lost on the graphic mark, I decided to start thinking about the book which is a big part of my thesis deliverable.
Who is the book for?
Couples or individuals who are searching for information specifically about older child adoption.
What's in it?
The book will provide non-biased information about adopting older children. My goal is not scare prospective parents but also not to keep their expectations too high that when they come across a hurdle during and after the adoption process they wouldn't know what to do. Having short real-life stories about older child adoption will definitely help the readers understand what they are or about to go through.
How is this possible?
The contents will be coming from books, articles both printed and online. Most importantly from those who I consider the "experts" in the adoption field. These are the people who work for adoption agencies, social workers, adoptive parents and adoptees themselves.
Below is a draft of the book content:
Book Content
I.
Introduction
a.
Short
History
b.
Current
Situation
i. Stats
ii. Who are the children?
c.
Benefits
of having a home
d.
Rewards
of being a parent
II.
Making
the Decision to Adopt
a.
Can
I/we adopt?
b.
Who is
going to make the decision with me?
c.
Who do
I/we want to adopt?
i. How many children do I want to adopt?
ii. What age/s am I open to?
iii. Gender
iv. Race and Ethnicity
v. What are the financial commitments?
d.
How
ready am I?
i. What are my expectations?
ii. What I should expect instead?
iii. Who are the people that I consider as
my support system?
III.
The
Adoption Process
a.
Who
should I go to? (adoption agencies, lawyer and/or government organizations)
b.
How
long is the entire process?
c.
The
Home Study Process
d.
The
Referral
i. Learning about a child’s past and
present
1.
Background
2.
Health
3.
Personality
and behavior
ii. Does it feel right? (Is it okay to
turn a referral down?)
e.
Being
matched with YOUR child
i. Finalizing the adoption
ii. Getting to know your child
1.
First
encounter
2.
More
than documents and records
iii. Waiting
1.
What
can I do while waiting?
a.
Preparations
i. Siblings
ii. Family, relatives and friends
iii. Your home
IV.
Your
Child is Finally Home
a.
How to
handle/what to expect on certain situations
b.
How to
introduce your new child
i. Relatives and Friends
ii. Community/Church
c.
Parent-Child
Relationship Developmental Stages