Categories: Adoption

15 Important Characteristics of an adoptive parent to note.

Happy Family sitting on the couch

Deciding whether International adoption or domestic adoption is the best for your family can bring so many questions. As a prospective adoptive parent, or foster, choosing to give a child a place to call home, shows that you have made a wise decision.

But, as you consider adopting a baby soon, there are many important Characteristics of an adoptive parent the birth families are looking for in people coming to adopt their child. I will show you all in this article.

Some family qualities engender a smooth and successful adoption process. The truth is that not all children and families are the same, but some good Characteristics of an adoptive parent and good parenting traits can make adoption pretty easy.

According to the National Training and Development Curriculum, the Characteristics of an adoptive parent must include the willingness to invest the time needed to train children to understand family traditions

To succeed in that aspect, you must possess most, if not all of these characteristics of an adoptive parent mentioned below.

Characteristics Of An Adoptive Parent.

1) They Are Ready, And Committed–

One of the USCIS requirements from the adoptive parents during adoption home studies s, that they should be willing, committed, and ready to take good care of the adopted child. This simply means that the prospective adoptive parents must be financially secure and provide a safe environment where the child will grow.

The adoptive parents are also required to have s powerful support as well as be there for the child physically, mentally, and emotionally. They must see the adopted child as their biological child.

2) Teachable-

“One hour per day of study in your chosen field is all it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.”
– Earl Nightingale

It is good to learn new things daily, and a good adoptive parent knows the importance of learning. If you are considering adoption, you don’t have to be a know-it-all person, instead, be open to learning new things that concern being an adoptive parent. There are books, videos, DVDs, and other resources to help you have the knowledge you need about the topic.

Note that every child is different and needs a unique way of training that’s cut out exclusively for them; if you keep yourself from learning, you may see yourself failing is your responsibility as a parent. Therefore be educable, so you can win all the time. that is also one of the best characteristics of an adoptive parent

3) Effective Communicator.

Communication is important when diminishing n you want to raise great children. Therefore being an effective communicator is another Characteristic of an adoptive parent. You and I know that children learn fast and especially from their parents.

As a prospective adoptive parent, you need to be a good communicator to their children. That implies being a good listener, knowing how to make eye contact, then bringing yourself lower to your children’s level, and knowing how to respond well to their conversation.

Truth is that if you understand how to listen to your children’s concerns and engage them effectively, they will cherish you greatly because they know that you care for them and their feelings.

4) Patience-

Patience is another characteristic of an adoptive which cannot be compared with any other quality. This is because any adoptive parent who finds it hard to exercise patience is not in any way fit to adopt a child.

The adoption process takes time- sometimes it takes years. It can be pretty tedious and sometimes you will feel like quitting. For instance, in foster care adoption, it takes a good time to complete the legal aspects, even waiting for the court decision takes so long a time that it affects the time for the baby to be eligible for adoption.

In international or domestic adoption, doing the paperwork takes time, the approval and the time for matching takes so much time too. You must consider all these to k ow how ready are you to be an adoptive parent.

Also, use those patient training to learn how to raise your new baby in your family. You will be patient as they start growing up. Don’t be afraid to be patient, they are all part of the adoption

Waiting patiently for your child to grow and mature as well as taking things at the child’s pace will help you and your family immensely. All you want is to see your child grow and be strong and healthy.

5) You know How To Ask For Help-

You will encounter so many challenges as you proceed to adopt your dream child. But as an adoptive child, you have a series of help everywhere you turn. If you are the shy type, you’ll find it hard to move on when the challenges become tedious.

A good adoptive parent is not afraid to seek help when there is a need for that. That is the best tool you have as you plan to adopt.

6) Sense Of Humor.

Parenting can be stressful and a hard job without a sense of humor. To enjoy your parenting, you must know when to laugh things off and when to take them seriously.

The scientist said that the Haman body has four “fluids or humor,” and that the balance of all the fluids is what determines our temperament. Having a sense of humor helps you to regulate your temperament as a parent.

Playfulness and humor characteristics will always help you to nurture that child who is struggling. Learn to laugh always than to cry.

8) Strong Support System-

Having a strong support system is another great Characteristic of an adoptive parent. Adoptive Parent sometimes needs help, and they rely on people around to get those support.

Getting someone to offer assistance, give listening ears when things are chaotic is what keeps the adoptive mom going. Parents must be ready to seek help from their support system when necessary and without shame.

Your support system comprises of your family members and your friends: those who are ready to leave anything just to help you.

9) Positive Mineset–

Another good characteristic of an adoptive parent is to always have a positive mindset. There are times you’ll get discouraged as a parent when your child or children are not living up to your expectations.

That is when you need a positive attitude to move on. Having a positive mindset is not just about looking cheerful or smiling all the time, it is all about focusing on the positive side of life when life is hitting you with all its negativities.

Your positive mindset is what will help you to manage your stress and improve your health also. Practice positive self-talk daily, especially when things look hard, and watch how things change for good.

10) You Must Be Understanding, Tolerable And Flexible.

A good parent is such who is capable of accepting each of their children the ways they are, and also understanding that these children have passed through trauma, which requires time and flexibility to get healed.

As a good adoptive parent, you must also be ready to forgive easily, share control, be willing to compromise, and know-how to navigate any circumstances that come around in parenting.

Also, be ready to act or do whatever is needed to make every member of the family happy, and also give chance and opportunities for the child, children to make as many mistakes as they can as they are growing up.

11) You Must Have A Strong Faith–

Having a strong faith is another characteristic of an adoptive parent. What does it mean to have faith as an adoptive parent? It means to put all your confidence in God as the only helper you have as a parent.

You know that it won’t be easy for you to go each step of your parenthood without Him, so you put your trust in Him alone.

12) A Commited Person-

A good adoptive mom’ must be committed to the task of parenting. . As a committed parent, you will stand your ground to make things work in your family and your children’s life.

There must be unavailable circumstances and you may be some unanswered questions, but commitment will make you be the best parent you always wanted.

13) Ready To Sacrifice:

How ready are you to sacrifice for your children? If yes, then you are qualified to be an adoptive parent. A good parent is always ready to sacrifice for their family. They can risk their lives and money to be sure that their family members are good.

So, If you are ready to be a good adoptive partner, you must include a sacrifice in the list of the Characteristics of an adoptive parent you must acquire.

Rounding Up

Hey! These are the most important characteristics of an adoptive parent every parent who is aspiring to adopt a baby must-have. Without these characteristics, you will find parenting stressful. The good news is that these are learnable and it is not hard to introduce into your family.

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