Adopting a child that you care about will protect your relationship with the child and also give them increased stability. They can depend on you in a legal sense and could inherit from your estate even if you die without a will.
However, adoptions are a family law process often fraught with emotional complications. It is common for those considering adoption to go through ups and downs in their relationship with the child involved. Even if you have a positive relationship, the child may have some personal reasons, like an attachment to a deceased or absent parent, that pushes them to object to the idea of adoption.
Do you need to have the permission of your grandchild or stepchild before you adopt them legally in North Dakota?
The child’s preferences will matter to the courts
Adoption is one of the more complex custody matters that the North Dakota family courts may have to decide. Typically, a judge wants to see a child in a household where they have proper support, which includes having involved and loving parents.
When hearing a case about adoption, a judge will have to think about the family to decide if the adoption would be in the child’s best interests. Especially if the child is older, their preferences could influence the outcome of adoption matters, particularly if they avidly object to changing their legal parents.
Just like you talk about the adoption with your spouse and other family members before filing paperwork, you should also discuss the matter with the child you hope to adopt. Learning more about the North Dakota approach to adoption will help you grow your family.
