Single Parent Adoption The relationship between a parent and a child is one of the most sacred relationships out

there, but unfortunately not every child gets to experience this special bond with a parent. Up to this day, thousands of children are put up for adoption all around the world, all of them waiting to be taken in by a loving and caring household. These households could also consist of one parent, as long as they are kind-hearted, and loving people who are able to financially and emotionally support the child. Many argue that single parent adoption should not be allowed because a child needs both a mother and a father, but it is better for a child to have at least one parent instead of none. There are no scientific facts proving that a two parent household is better for a child than a single parent household. The desire to nurture and to share life as a family is a strong universal need that is felt by a large number of people, and one that is not exclusive to married people or couples. In 1970, if a single person had gone to an adoption agency and applied to adopt a child, they would have been turned down. In fact, several states in America even had laws against single parent adoption. But over the past twenty years, the number of adoptions by single parents have increased at a steady rate, and approximately 25 percent of adoptions of children with special needs have been by single men and women (Feigelman & Silverman 294-297). Although, nowadays, many more single parents are allowed to adopt, their motives for adopting are questioned a lot more than a household with two parents. There is nothing strange about a single parent wanting to adopt, as there could be many possible reasons for them to make this decision, A survey quotes a single woman explaining that she decided to adopt because in a way her life felt incomplete, she says, I had a stable job and could give a child many benefits. And I had love that needed to be given and a need to be

needed. I wanted some purpose to my life other than my work and my cat (Feigelman & Silverman 125).This is just one example of the many reasons that a single person might want to adopt. A common scenario for single parent adoption is a person who has pursued a career and put off marriage and having children until they are older., but they then finds themselves in their thirties, without a partner and the need for a child. They have the emotional and financial aspects of adopting a child, and there is no fact proving that they cannot be a fit parent because they do not have a partner. Sometimes, single men and women feel that they can provide care for children in foster homes, institutions, or in countries that cannot provide them with basic necessities. Because this would give a child a better life, and being adopted by a loving single parent is far better than having no parents at all. One teacher shares the thought behind her decision to adopt when she says, Because I continually saw children in my special education classes who lived in institutions or went from foster home to foster home, I decided that even as a single parent, I could do more for a child (Feigelman & Silverman 39). Despite the great increase in single parent adoption numbers, the biggest obstacle that still has to be faced is the traditional view on parenting, that states that a child needs a mother and a father for healthy growth and development. Some peoples perception is that the ideal way, is to place a child in a two-parent home with a mother and a father who are compatible and loving. However, theres are many children for whom this ideal way is not possible and many single people feel that this way of thinking is unbiased. It makes far more sense for a child to have at least one parent who loves and cares for them, than to expect a child to wait for years for a two parent household to adopt them, even though that may never happen.

Though peoples perceptions and views are not the only obstacles that stand in the way of single parent adoptions. Adoption agencies have different policies that vary on single applicants. Some refuse single people immediately, and some put their file on hold and request a home study or a family assessment, while waiting for a two-parent home who wants to adopt. Sometimes agencies give children with disabilities to single people or give them a child within the age of 1013 year old when they asked or a toddler. At times, when a single person wishes to pursue independent adoption which is an adoption process with no agency involvement, the birth mother hesitates after learning that the person who wants to hopes to adopt her baby is single. The birth mother should think about the type of person the applicant is, instead of worrying about their martial status, because what is most important is that the child should remain loved and cared for. Single men face even more scrutiny as they are asked intimate questions about their sexuality, motives, friends, and living arrangements. And even though they are fit to be a parent, they could still be turned down. Traditionally there has been a strong bias against male applicants by adoption agencies. They might think about the fact that a man might not be sensitive to a childs needs, or that a child needs a mother, but these thoughts are being demolished as the number of men caring for children grow. Because it is not necessary that a child have a mother and a father, because it could be, that a two-parent household in which a child is abused is clearly dysfunctional in comparison to a household with a single parent where the child is cared for and loved. Though there have been many arguments stating that single parent adoptions should not be allowed because a child needs a mother and a father to have an ideal life, this essay clearly proves that sometimes the ideal way is not possible for all children, and that there is nothing proving that a single parent household where the parent loves the child and is able to financially

and emotionally support them, is in any way a bad thing. It is better for a child to have at least one mother or father rather than none.

Work Cited Feigelman, W. and Silverman, A.R. (1997). Single parent adoption. In: The Handbook for Single Adoptive Parents, Chevy Chase, MD: National Council for Single Adoptive Parents.