"Pros and cons" of adopting again ... any thoughts/advice???

Pro's - Completing the family
Helping a child have a safe, secure home with the opportunity to flourish
More children, more enjoyment, laughter and fun!


Con's - Contact if not birth siblings
Expense
Family dynamics going from 2 to 3
Sw back in your life ( which can be a good or bad thing)
Going through the process again.

Good luck...I'd be interested to hear everyones experiences. Am VERY tempted to do it again...

Exiting Pluto?!!!
May be tough but hopefully not the end of Minnie!

We've just adopted again, number 3, early days for us so reserve the right to change my mind....!

Pros - much better understanding of the process, parenting adopted LOs, potential issues, intros etc.
For us, already being parents and having a child centred life has made it much less of an upheaval this time round and less life changing! I think I have much less 'sweated the small stuff' this time round and even things like cooking for 3 peeps is not much different to cooking for 2. Loving getting to know our new LO and having her in our family.

Cons - Relationships between the children, our first two have struggled and found it really tough adapting to have a new LO in the family. Now starting settle into some sort of normality after a few months but it has been hard work. LOs regressed in some things and needing lots more attention at the same time new LO also needing it. Not insurmountable but hard work! We've managed as older two at school in day and happy there.

That's rather a jumble as trying to type this around 3 dancing peeps! Anyway few random thoughts!! Our third one was a sibling so we were approached which perhaps makes a difference, not sure we would have considered it at this point otherwise!

We adopted two single unrelated children 6 years apart. Loads of pros - kids entertain each other, much easier and less worrying to parent the second child, totally different genetics so kids very different which I find fascinating, issues are different so are troublesome in different ways at different times(!)

Cons - found it hard to go back to having a toddler initially as older dd well past that stage. Rivalry between them can be aggravating - but it does mean that having one without the other feels like a holiday!

Both mine have similar contact arrangements, although only one gets replies but it hasn't been an issue. Neither have sibling contacts - one has no maternal sibs, the other has no adopted sibs.

Actually to me there aren't any real cons. I never wanted just one child so it has always felt right to have two. If we were younger I'd probably try to convince DH to go for another:)

I adopted two at the same time, siblings with only 10 months between them, so a bit like having twins where one was slightly ahead of the other, but if I was adopting again, I wouldn't recommend such a small age gap as it's extremely hard to get 1:1 time when they are so close in age.

Think if I was adopting again I would have a 3-4 year age gap minimum. That way the eldest would be at school allowing time with the youngest, so that you had 1:1 time with LO during the day and then could focus on older child after school. Also financially, if you have to pay for childcare, it is very expensive, especially if you are a singlie on one salary.

There is no right or wrong. If you want a second child then go for it. It is nice for children to have a sibling especially when they are older, as single children often feel alone after their parents have passed on, but like everything in life, there are no guarantees that they will get on, even if they are genetically related.

Are you feeling broody Minnie?