There are many ways to create a family. Marrying someone with children makes you a stepparent, which can be an extremely rewarding role in a child’s life. However, you may be wondering about officially adopting your stepchild.
Because Indiana adoption law requires various petitions and consents, the process is complex. However, in the right circumstances, there are many advantages to adopting your stepchild. It can be an important step in creating a loving, stable home.
Permanence for the child
Children of divorce may feel less secure than children who live with their mother and father. Adopting stepchildren can send a reassuring message that they belong equally to both adults in the home. This may ease fears of household instability and help underscore that each child is as much a part of the family as every other child. If a child’s other biological parent has died or abandoned the child, adoption can give the child two parents again.
Legal rights for you
Parenting involves making medical, educational and other legal decisions about children. If you cannot guide those choices, it is difficult to parent effectively.
For example, your spouse may travel regularly, and your stepchild’s other biological parent may be difficult to reach due to constant relocation or struggles with addiction. In such cases, you and the children benefit from your legal right to act on their behalf. Furthermore, adopting your stepchildren can make it easier for them to remain in your stable home in the event of your spouse’s death.
Freedom for both of you
Some children fear that an abusive or unfit parent may regain custody. In such cases, terminating the abuser’s parental rights and completing adoption can go a long way in making the children feel safe.
Especially in small communities, a child may prefer to avoid association with a parent known for criminal convictions, violence or drug use. Adoption can help such a child sever those negative ties. Legal adoption also solidifies your official relationship as parent and child, giving you the freedom to plan for the future together, as a family.
