Blog post #1: Home study questions

When I first read through the questions for the home study, there weren't any specific questions that, on the surface, seemed to be too difficult to answer. However, once I started thinking about some of them and how the answers would be received in this situation, I realized that some of the answers to these questions would be very personal and may be difficult for individuals and couples to share with a stranger. It is important for these to be answered fully and honestly, though, because they allow the social worker to see if the couple will make good parents and if they can provide a healthy and safe environment for a child.

For me personally, the questions that would be the most difficult to answer were mostly related to the parenting philosophy. That is partly due to the fact that I am not definitively sure what all my answers would be for those questions but it is mostly because the pressure to come up with the "right" answers to those questions would be great. Intellectually I know that there really is not a right answer or even multiple right answers. The goal of these questions is to gauge whether or not the couple will make good parents. I guess that my thought on those questions is that if you are able to clearly and honestly communicate the parenting philosophy you follow and you put in the time and focus necessary to seriously answer the questions then as long as there are no red flags and the best interest is in the child, it will not be too much of an issue.

Prospective parents have to be willing to put thought and time into answering these questions, even those who are not starting a family through adoption. Discussing your parenting philosophy prior to having children helps build a stronger and more united relationship because then you know what each person is thinking and how each person would handle different situations. I believe that the questions that are being asked are the correct ones because they force people to think about how they would handle different situations and it encourages them to re-evaluate why it is they are taking this step. They have to have an idea of the step they are taking in their life; going into it without some type of planning or thoughts about the future is not very wise. They are committing themselves to a lifelong vocation as a parent which is not something one should do on a whim.