Book

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