6 Common Types of Adoptive Families in Florida

By Erin Jones

What makes adoption so unique is the variety of adoptive families looking to expand through adoption in Florida. When most people think about adoption, they’re likely to imagine a married, heterosexual couple. Every couple who chooses to adopt a child is special, but it’s important to highlight all types of adoptive families!

Below, Adoption Choices of Florida shines the spotlight on six of the lesser-known — but still common! — types of adoptive families that adoption agencies in Florida are likely to see!   

6 Types of Adoptive Families

Adoption as a Single Parent

Today, it’s becoming more common for individuals looking to become single parents. For birth mothers placing a child for adoption, choosing a single parent might seem like a risky decision. However, single parents are much more successful at parenting than society gives them credit for. They’ve proven that even though raising a child alone certainly has its challenges, it can be done successfully!

Step-Parent Adoption

Another type of adoption that’s becoming more common is the adoption of a child by a step-parent. Step-parent adoption is slightly different from most other types of adoption, but it’s exactly as it sounds. It’s when a child’s step-parent legally adopts him or her. In step-parent adoptions, the birth parent of the child who’s being adopted is typically married to the step-parent and involved in the adoption process.

Grandparent or Other Relative Adoption

Adoption of a child by a grandparent, grandparents, or another relative or relatives is fairly common as well, especially in cases where a child’s birth parent or parents can no longer care for the child or have died unexpectedly. Grandparent or relative adoptions are also different from most other adoptions because most adoptions involve adoptive families who are not blood-related to the child who’s being adopted. When a child is to be adopted by their grandparents or other relatives, it’s important to note that adoption is often much quicker than that of an adoptive family who’s not biologically related to a child. Though adoption agencies and social workers must still determine the grandparents or other relatives of a child fit to care for that child, it doesn’t take quite as long to do so as with other types of adoption. 

LGBTQ+ Adoption

The LGBTQ+ community has spent years fighting oppression and for their basic human rights, It wasn’t until recently that people within the community finally won the right to marry and legally adopt. Sadly, some people still don’t see the beauty in this major victory for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, but that hasn’t stopped the increase in LGBTQ+ adoptions in the past few years. Contrary to what some people may think, there’s no evidence to suggest that the sexual orientation of a child’s parents has a negative impact on a child in any way. Children of LGBTQ+ adoptive parents reportedly grow up to be much more confident, compassionate, and open-minded in adulthood!         

Transracial Adoption

Like LGBT adoption, transracial adoption has been a controversial topic of debate for many years. Like LGBT adoption, transracial adoption has become much more common and widely accepted in recent years. If you’re considering transracial adoption — whether you’re a birth mother or an adoptive parent — it’s important to learn as much as you can about transracial adoption, as well as about race and racism. Unfortunately, transracial adoptive families experience a great deal of negativity, particularly in the form of discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudice. 

As the birth mother of a child with a family of a different race, it’s your responsibility to stand up for your child and their adoptive family. The more you know about transracial adoption and the negative effects of racism, the better you’ll be able to protect your child’s family and to educate others about how truly incredible transracial adoption is!    

Military Adoptive Families

Adoption is also becoming more common amongst families with at least one parent who’s an active member of the military. Most military families experience high levels of stress regularly, but the additional stress of adoption can take quite a toll. Fortunately, the military offers many resources to service members and their families when they’re in the process of adopting a child. Agencies work with military families throughout the adoption process to ensure that everything goes smoothly.      

Choosing from Florida Adoptive Families

As a birth mother, you’ll hit a lot of milestones throughout your adoption journey. One of which is the moment you get to choose your child’s adoptive family! As with every moment in the adoption process, choosing an adoptive family for your child can be stressful. Knowing about the different types of adoptive families can be beneficial. As you review potential families, you might get a better idea of what kind of family you want your child to be with. Not every type of adoptive family listed above can necessarily apply to every birth mother going through adoption — step-parent, grandparent, and relative adoption often occur under different circumstances. That said, it’s important to appreciate all the kinds of adoptive families that are out there because each one is amazing in its own way!   

If you are a pregnant woman in Florida considering adoption, and have any questions or concerns about the adoption process, please don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information on adoption, visit us at Adoption Choices of Florida or call us at: (833) 352-3678