20 Apr Unexpected Pregnancy: Am I ready to Parent?

Cradle of Hope Adoption Center, a local nonprofit adoption agency with offices in DC, MD and VA, is happy to help you with your unexpected pregnancy. Are you ready to parent? Below are some responsibilities of parenting – are you in a position to take care of all of these for your child? If not, there are families wanting and waiting to meet these responsibilities and more for your son or daughter. Consider adoption!

• Well-balanced, nutritional meals and assurance that the child eats sufficiently to meet his/her growth needs. Assurance that the child is receiving sufficient sleep to remain healthy and responsive.
• Clothing and footwear appropriate for the season and occasion.
• Shelter that is safe and comfortable.
• Medical care: preventive with annual check-ups and immunizations; responsive when the child is sick.
• Toileting issues in infancy and toddlerhood. (frequent, responsive diapering until the child is toilet trained. Assistance and support until toilet training is mastered).
• Nurturing responsibilities include encouragement, comforting, consistency, establishment of a sense of security, dependability, playing, counseling, and loving.
• Discipline issues include understanding and setting appropriate limits for age, consistency of expectations and responses, self-management of anger, being a good example.
• Education issues include providing a traditional education through a school. Non-academic education includes teaching independent life skills (dressing, hygiene, decision-making, social skills, physical fitness and sports, manners, and responsibility) that are appropriate at each age.
• Moral guidance includes teaching right from wrong and enforcing rules. Monitoring the child’s activities to make sure they are appropriate, including previewing and at times censoring reading material, television, computer games, and friends. Providing clear and consistent limits for behavior that is age appropriate and that correspond to the individual child’s maturity level.
• Spiritual guidance includes instilling in the child a sense of hope and well-being.
• Other responsibilities include: chauffeur, social director, scheduler, advocate, and manager.
• Time requirements: 24 hours a day, seven days a week until the child can make it on his/her own. No vacation time, no sick leave, time off only when a suitable substitute has been found.

If you would like to learn more about how adoption works, please contact Cradle of Hope at 301-587-4400 or 301-905-9999 after office hours. We’re happy to help.