We are planning on moving to DE next year, but I just found another reason to stay in NJ. Other than the fact that my mother lives here, and we would be even farther away from her when we move, they have subsidized adoption help. My dream is to one day adopt a child...boy or girl...to be part of our family. Now, I am not saying I want to do this tomorrow. There are a heaping load of things that have to go on before we even apply.
For one thing, we live in a 2 bedroom apartment. That's not enough space to raise another child, especially if it's older or a girl. Girls have to have their own separate rooms by law here. Another thing, we have to make sure that we can handle it emotionally as a family. My husband works a lot and working on marriage things sometimes bogs us down, let alone parental things. We really have to make sure that we are mentally ready for an undertaking of this magnitude.
I know that DE also has subsidized adoptions, but there is something about adopting a child and being where I grew up, where my son was born, and where my mother is that appeals to me moreso than being out of state and doing this. We would need a lot of familial support when we do this.
The MAIN thing is to get my husband to agree that we can move in this direction eventually. He has said he might be open to it, but I know he would rather have another child "the old fashioned way". If I can arm myself with information, and we can move together as a cohesive loving family over the next few years, I know that we will be ready to do this no matter which state we end up living in.
adoption
