How do you know when it is right to adopt a child? I hear from a lot of people who are considering adopting a child, or who are considering adopting another child. When I talk about adoption or am asked about adoption out in the general public, lots of people comment that they have always "thought about" adopting.

Obviously there are many people out there who never go any further than thinking about adoption, and of course there are also many parents out there who do make the decision to move forward and adopt a child.

If you are in the "thinking about things" stage, how do you know when it is right to move forward and start an adoption?

There are quite a few things to consider before starting a transracial adoption, whether it is your first or you are an old pro.

The most important thing to ask yourself is, "Do you have a true desire to love, raise and parent a child (or another child) through the good and the bad and everything in between?" While feeling compassion for orphaned children and wanting to help them is a wonderful thing, it is not a good enough primary reason to want to adopt. First and foremost should be a real desire for a child.

Finances are another big consideration. Can you afford to pay for another adoption or find way to do so? Can you afford to raise another child?

The third most important area to consider is if you are truly prepared and educated (or are willing to become so) to become a transracial family, and to parent a child that is of a different race.

There are plenty of other questions prospective adoptive parents should ask themselves. You can find my detailed list here.

I often wonder what the different is between the people who think about adopting and those who actually take the leap and do it. I know for us, that once we started talking about it I was pretty unwilling to let it go or even put it off because I felt the strongest sense of urgency that I had a daughter that I had to "find" and bring home. Each time we have taken the leap to adopt (and in a lot of ways it is no less scary the eighth time than it is the first time), we have done so with a strong personal conviction that the child we were adopting was meant to be in our family, and an overwhelming desire to love that child and bring him or her home to us.

Sometimes the journey to our child has been pretty smooth and sometimes the road has been rough and bumpy, but each time it has been worth it.

If you are still in the "thinking about adoption" phase, what is holding you back from starting the process?

If you are in the process of adopting or already have your child home, what factors helped you make the leap to start the process?

*Picture from Liquid Library