Choosing An Adoptive Family
Choosing a family to parent your child is a huge decision. In addition to trusting your intuition, you can use the following 10 point scale to help you identify the family characteristics that are most important to you.
Circle the number under each characteristic that best represents how important it is to you. You may clarify your response under each item.
1 = Not important at all 10 = Extremely important
Compatible personality (i.e. What kind of personalities are you drawn to?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Location of the family (rural, urban, in state, out of state…)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Stay-at home parent (full or part-time)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Pets in the home
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Cultural diversity (family’s culture, race/ethnicity, bi-lingual, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hobbies (art, music, sports, camping, skiing, cooking, reading, sewing, gardening…)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Religion / Spirituality
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Opportunities to Travel
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Parenting style
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Family’s type of employment
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Family make-up (two parents, single parent, heterosexual or same sex couple)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Extended family involvement
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Foods eaten (vegetarian, meat and potatoes, organic…)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
My child’s birth order in the family (i.e. first child or older siblings)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Environmentally conscious
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Political views
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Sibling(s) for my child
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Family lifestyle (Active or home bodies, relaxed or busy, physically active, lots of outdoor time)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Media (computer, video games, television time or low media home)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Level of openness (number of visits per year)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
What are the top 3 most important characteristics/ qualities you are looking for in a family?
Other important qualities you are looking for?