What was the hardest part about making the decision to adopt a waiting child?

Though the people I asked made it sound easy, deciding to adopt a waiting child is a big decision. Whether it’s deciding if you can bond with an older child or deciding if you are able to deal with the medical conditions – it takes a lot of thought.

When my husband and I were filling out our application, I looked at the boxes that I could check. My pen hovered over the special needs boxes and I agonized over the decision. A part of me felt guilty for not wanting to check the boxes and another part of me said that it wasn’t a good time for me. Ultimately, we made the decision that was best for us, but it certainly did not stop me from feeling a little selfish for leaving a child behind.

Most of the people who answered my questions said that hardest part was trying to be rational about your decision when your emotions were telling you something else.

“Having the faith that she was meant to be in our family regardless of what may be in store down the road, but even that was not that difficult!” – J

“Even though I had fallen in love with her I was unsure at first whether or not we could give her what she needed. She was delayed due to being 10 weeks premature, she may have been deprived of oxygen at birth and her future held some unknowns.” – K

For A, it was how other people reacted when they told them that was the hardest part of the decision.

“I think that has to be the reaction of family and other people. …The only person who was positive was my father. My husbands parents felt adopting this little boy would be "unfair" to our oldest. My mother was worried about the future capacity of this little boy and if we could handle it.” – A

If you would like to comment, but not on this site, please e-mail me at adoptkoreablog@adoptionmail.com.