Guest Author - Marie Stroughter

Sons become members of the family in many ways: some are born to you; some marry into your family; and some are blessed to be chosen through adoption.

If you are considering expanding your family through adoption, here are some resources for you:

Adoption.com: http://adopting.adoption.com/
This website has comprehensive adoption information from step-by-step guidance through potential scams to be wary of, to post-adoption support. This a great website for your preliminary information-gathering.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/index.cfm
The site offers basic adoption information as well as links and other resources for prospective adoptive parents.

The Adoption Guide: http://www.theadoptionguide.com/
The Guide itself is a book, but the website provides many free articles and resources for the prospective adoptive parent.

Adoptive Families: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/
Adoptive Families Magazine has a content-rich website and their “Classic Clip & Save” article archive is a must-see.

Adoption at BellaOnline.com: http://www.bellaonline.com/site/adoption
The Adoption site here at BellaOnline offers additional information and support.

The above-named resources also offer information on adoption costs and other financial considerations.

Many children waiting to be adopted have special needs, whether medical, emotional or behavioral. The following websites offer information on the adoption of children with these special needs:

Adoption.com: http://special-needs.adoption.com/children/adopting-a-child-with-special-needs.html

ComeUnity.com: http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/special_needs/index.html

About.com: http://specialchildren.about.com/od/specialneedsadoption/

Special Needs at BellaOnline.com: http://www.bellaonline.com/site/specialneedschildren
The Special Needs site here at BellaOnline isn’t adoption-specific, but does offer a wealth of information regarding parenting a child with special needs.

National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption:
http://www.nrcadoption.org/

Adopting.org:
http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/special-needs-adoption-4.html