It’s no mystery: Parenting is hard. It requires a great deal of time, energy and sacrifice, and it is not right for everyone at every point in their lives. In fact, struggling through parenting is more common than you think. While many parents will overcome their challenges and become stronger from it, there are some parents who know that they can offer their child a better life with other parents — through adoption.
But, is giving an older child up for adoption in Iowa even an option?
The answer: It depends. Your situation will play a large role in whether adoption is an option for your family. If you are thinking about putting an older child up for adoption in Iowa, we encourage you to contact our legal professionals for more information about the options available to you. They can answer all of your questions about the criteria for putting older kids up for adoption in Iowa and help connect you with the resources you may need for this path.
To learn more, please call 319-291-6161 or contact us online.
Can You Give an Older Child Up for Adoption?
Whether or not you can place an older kid up for adoption is a complicated issue. In general, the older that your child is, the less likely it is that adoption is an option or that you will find a loving, supportive family to take your child in.
Consider this: The older your child is, the more time they have had to bond with you as their parent. Transferring custody of your child at an older age can cause emotional and developmental issues. If you are thinking about placing an older child up for adoption — for example, a child who is 5 years old or older — this may be a difficult path to pursue.
On the other hand, if you are wondering how to place an “older” child up for adoption, and that child is only a few weeks or months old, know that adoption is a more readily available option. There are many parents willing to adopt a young infant, and you can be as involved in this adoption process as you would if you had chosen adoption while pregnant.
We always encourage any parent wondering about putting an older child up for adoption in Iowa to contact our law firm for more information about the options available to them.
How to Put an Older Child Up for Adoption in Iowa
If you’re wondering how to give an older baby up for adoption, there are a few options that may be available for your particular situation. As always, please speak with an adoption professional and attorney before choosing to pursue one path or another:
1. Private Domestic Infant Adoption
If your child is only a few weeks or months old, adoption is still an option for you. Many women have chosen adoption after taking their child home from the hospital, and making this decision does not mean you are a bad parent. On the contrary: You have recognized that you cannot provide the life you want for your child, and you instead wish to give them those opportunities with another family.
You may wonder how to put an older baby up for adoption in Iowa. Know that the Nelson Law Firm is here to help. Our legal team can explain the legal process ahead, answer any questions you have about the process and connect you with any additional resources you may desire. If you choose this path, you can still choose the adoptive parents you want for your child and the amount of post-placement communication you have with them in the years to come.
2. Relative Adoption
If your child is a few years old, it will typically be harder for you to find an adoptive family for your child, as many families completing private adoptions are only interested in young infants. However, you may find the perfect parents for your child are right in front of you — through a relative adoption in Iowa.
If you have found the challenges of parenting to be too much, you could choose to place your child with a close family member (or even a friend) to give your child the life he or she deserves. Perhaps you know a relative or friend who is struggling with infertility, or you know someone who would be willing to take on your parental responsibilities. There are a few things to consider about putting a toddler up for adoption with a loved one as their adoptive parent but, with proper preparation and understanding on both sides, this can be an option for you.
Our attorneys at the Nelson Law Firm can always help you complete a relative adoption whenever you are ready.
3. Temporary Guardianship
Perhaps you’re finding the challenges of parenting too much at this time — but you don’t want to permanently terminate your parental rights. You may choose a temporary guardianship. This process allows you to transfer custody of your child to a trusted guardian (like a friend or family member), who will care for him or her while you improve your personal situation. After a certain amount of time, the guardianship can end, and you can take back the custody of your child when you are ready to recommit to parenting.
A temporary guardianship is not an adoption; you will retain your rights throughout, as well as a responsibility to financially provide for your child (and more). For information on this process, please contact our family law attorneys.
Giving up an older child for adoption in Iowa is a complicated process, but it can be done. Any parent considering this path should be fully aware of the legal options available to them to prevent any charges of child abandonment. Don’t worry — the Nelson Law Firm is here to help. Call our firm today at 319-291-6161 to get started.