Where do you live? ? I think most of the time, you need to be at least 25 to adopt in the US. Adopting costs a *huge* amount of money, depending on how you do it. Are you hoping to adopt a *baby* or a *child*? Big difference there. There are also all sorts of requirements for your home, etc.

I was also looking into adoption and if you go through the state in its minimal financially but there are alot of kids with physical and emotional needs when you are dealing with foster children ( not that its a bad thing just know they would require much more attention and may not be as flexible in daily activities or traveling). You would have to be stable in one location to adopt any child because they would do several home visit and evaluations. I

I would contact your local child services program and ask about it.

also this is such a shame .....they are not as willing to adopt children out to people who arent married ( i know from inquiring about that)

Would you consider using a sperm donor to get pregnant?

That's not true, and maybe it varies by state. I looked into adopting a foster child when I was living in Nevada, and you had to either be married for a minimum of one year, or divorced or single for a minimum of two years, so that your family is not already in a transitional stage during the adoption. Many children are adopted by single parents. Adopting out of the foster care system is wonderful, because so many of those children need homes.

My impression is that the single/married/whatever rules vary not only by state, but also by the company you are working with.

http://www.adopt.org/assembled/FAQ.html

heres a link I found to the national adoption agency. it has a faq section and I think its some pretty good resources for you!

and they have a whole section about single parent adoption

IO'd certainly look into foster/adopt as its much cheaper and your matched with kids who REALLY need a good home. Usually they aren't babies, but older children are just as rewarding if you ask me.

I know in my state you have to be 21 to foster and its ok to be single, and its even ok if you rent an apartment, you just need adequate space.. but if the foster child is the same sex as your child they can share a room. You should be able to find foster info for your state online.

Sorry I haven't responded in a while, I have been on tour and just got back.

Thanks yall for the responses. I think I feel a little overwhelmed by the adoption process but I don't feel comfortable with getting pregnant by a sperm donor. As far as whether or not I want a baby or a child, I guess I was thinking 3-5 as the age range I would be most comfortable with. I am baffled by raising babies without breastfeeding (i know it can be done, Ive just never done it) and my child is almost 5 so thats my realm of experience. Although I am open to other ages. I think right now a lot is going on in my life and I need to really make decisions about what I want in life. My partner and I are transitioning to a relationship with more space. My band is doing a ton of shit and it seems like there is a lot of momentum with our audience, and really I can't have another kid if I am going to continue to tour/record this much. But I still want one! I need to decide what my priorities are. Tough stuff...

You can breastfeed an adopted baby, but it takes a lot more work. You would have to pump, take herbs, and possibly medication to build up your supply before receiving your baby. If the baby has already been getting bottles, that adds another huge hurdle to trying to breastfeed.

Adopted children need a lot of attention. The recommendation for adopting a child is that at least one parent should be home with the child for 6 months to a year to establish the bonding process. So, if you are already living a really busy life, it wouldn't be condusive to adoption, unless you were willing and able to put it all aside and completely focus on parenting. This is true even for older children, because most of them have severe attachment issues and other emotional issues.

has anyone heard of that new law they are trying to pass? something about putting married people to the top of the list. when confronted about how it would make adoption just that much harder they were saying that its not going to make a differance or make it harder they just want to make sure "the people who need/want it the most" are able to get it first. some lady that was a social worker was like "then why even pass the law, because single or gay couples are going to see it and then not even try." they wouldnt answer her. i cant remember the name of it or anything like that, i just saw it on the news a couple of nights ago and was appalled. to me i feel like they are just trying to make it that much harder for single and gay couples. there are too many kids in foster care as it is, with not enough money. why make it that much harder?

*sorry to go off topic. im not trying to hijack your post, it just reminded me of that news topic. ive been meaning to get on and post about it but kept forgetting. this was the perfect topic to put it in*