Parental Requirements

We were in Norfolk this morning for a biometrics screening (i.e., fingerprinting. Doesn’t their use of the term “biometrics” sound much more sophisticated??). It’s one of the steps in our adoptive “second trimester”. We are requesting approval from the United States Customs and Immigration department.

While we were driving home, I made a mental table (yes, I am a bit geeky and think of things in terms of graphs and tables) comparing some of the requirements for becoming a parent via adoption versus biologically. I got a little laugh out of this…

REQUIRED to be a…	Birth Mother	Adoptive Mother
Parenting Education	1 hour (prior to leaving hospital)	10 hrs international credits 40 hrs local training
Criminal Background Checks	No	Yes (Local, State, Federal)
Child Protective Services Background Check	No	Yes
Financial Review	No	Yes
Tax Returns	No	Yes
Health Review/Testing	Sometimes	Yes
Employment Verification	No	Yes
Life Insurance Verification	No	Yes
Health Insurance Verification	No	Yes
Personal References	No	Yes
Home Study and Interviews	No	Yes
First Aid Kit and Fire Extinguisher	No	Yes
Emergency preparedness and evacuation plan	No	Yes

Interesting, huh? Many commentaries could be made from this... I'll just say that if you are looking for someone to fill a role in your home/family (babysitter, mentor, coach, etc.) you should look for an adoptive parent. They have been through their share of the above reviews and are likely pretty trustworthy!!

P.S. I didn’t have a state approved first aid kit for Asher or Cora… and so far they are turning out A-OK! J