If You’re Single, You Can’t Adopt (Or Can You?)

What do Angelina Jolie, Barbara Walters, and George Lucas have in common? All are part of an upward trend of people who were single when they adopted their children. Margaret L. Schwartz, author of “The Pumpkin Patch: A Single Woman’s International Adoption Journey” reveals three tips for singles who hope to adopt.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 6, 2005

What do Angelina Jolie, Barbara Walters, and George Lucas have in common? All are part of an upward trend of people who were single when they adopted their children.

“Single-parent adoptive families raise happy, healthy children who become productive adults,” says Margaret L. Schwartz, author of “The Pumpkin Patch: A Single Woman’s International Adoption Journey” (http://www.Pumpkin-Patch.net), which documents the journey to adopt her two children, Rupert and Nicki, from Ukraine. “Single applicants are usually in their thirties, well-educated and in stable, middle-income jobs, making them great role models to children who would otherwise grow up without the support and love of an adult.”

Single-parent families were more likely than two-parent families to evaluate the adoption’s impact as being very positive, according to Groze and Rosenthal in “Single Parents and their Adopted Children.” Schwartz predicts that as this trend continues, it will become easier for single parents to adopt.

For singles who have hoped to adopt, Schwartz offers these three tips:

• Expand your vision of the perfect child. Single people are often more flexible and are willing to adopt children who are older, from foster homes, from other countries, or with physical or behavioral challenges or other special needs.
• Demonstrate your financial stability, maturity, high capacity to handle frustration, and your desire to parent a child. Reach out to relatives and groups who include other single adoptive parents and create a support network.
• Prepare yourself early for your new child. Parents who conceive are given nine precious months to get their finances and emotions ready for a new member of the family. Start modifying you home and preparing your finances. Emotional work is also common at this time for singles adopting children.

If you are single, you can adopt. Those considering adoption will find the free report “Instant Parenthood: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” at http://www.Pumpkin-Patch.net.

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