Adoption is beautiful thing. It’s a great way to build a family for couples who can’t have children or who simply choose to adopt. Whatever the reason may be, it has come to this point. It’s important to know that this process may not be for everyone. A thing to realize about adoption is that if you and your partner aren’t on the same page and have different expectations, then it is not going to work. It’s essential to know the legal requirements in the state of Utah for adoption. It’s also essential to know about the emotional side of adoption and how to deal with it.
Legal Requirements
Utah is one of the states that has an age requirement in regards to adoption. You must be at least 10 years older than the person you are trying to adopt. If you are married, then only one of the spouses has to be at least 10 years older. In the state of Utah, you are allowed to adopt if you are a same-sex couple. However, you cannot adopt if you and your partner are not married or in a legally binding relationship. This goes for all couples. It’s also important to note that you can adopt any person at any age. You don’t have to adopt a newborn or a child. If older, the person would still have to give consent to being adopted.
Emotional Side
Adoption is a big decision that will change you and your partner’s lives forever. It will also have a huge impact on the person you are adopting. In order to take this big step, you need to be emotionally prepared. A mentioned in the beginning, you need to make sure that you are on the same page as your partner. You have to have the same goals for adoption or it simply will not work and can cause emotional despair among you two and the person you’ve adopted. For example, you may want to adopt a girl while your partner may want to adopt a boy. You will ultimately have to come to an agreement. If you don’t and you end up adopting a girl, your partner may feel resentment toward her and that’s unhealthy for her and for the family as whole. Adoption can bring upon many challenges. It’s important that you are prepared to face any and every challenge of adoption. For example, the birth father of the adoptee may try to contest the adoption. The birth mother may change her mind about giving her child up for adoption. You may later discover that your adoptee has significant health problems that you now have to deal with. Whatever the case may be, you have to be understanding and prepared to go through it. Infertility is another major emotional piece to adoption. If you tried to have a baby and had a miscarriage, its important to make sure you have taken time to grieve before adopting a child. Other family members and friends may impact the emotional side of adopting as well. You may want to tell them about your adoption plans but you don’t have to tell them right a way. When the process gets closer to being finalized, that is a better time to tell them. Anything can happen in the process as mentioned previously like the birth mother changing her mind about putting her child up for adoption.
Since the adoption process is a legal process, you’ll need an Attorney to guide you through it. This is incredibly helpful because if you’ve never been through this process before or you don’t know anyone who has, it can be confusing. An attorney will finalize the new parent-child relationship in court. When dealing with his subject matter you want someone with experience who can truly guide you in the right direction. Draper Adoption Lawyer Christopher M. Ault at The Ault Firm is available to help you along the way in your adoption process. Contact him at 801-539-9000 for a consultation or fill out this form.
