Q&A

Are you just starting your parenting journey? Your options are varied, and surrogacy has become a popular method for family-building.

Growing Generations provides the most important questions you should consider when searching for a surrogacy agency.

The company believes the questions below should be asked of any agency that you are considering.

• How long have they been in business?
• How many clients have they assisted?

Your kid should start brushing her own teeth as soon as she's willing to try. You can clean them with a wet cloth or gauze until it's time for a tooth brush. Using plain water, gently brush the teeth on both the outside and inside surfaces twice a day.

Foster parents are required to take charge of the childrens' lives. To help with this task and prevent possible allegations, the following is a list of questions to ask prior to accepting a placement:

Name, gender, age?

Reason for placement?

Previous placements?

• Reason for removal?
• Ask to speak with previous care provider
• Has the child made any allegations against previous foster parents/group home?

Reimbursement rate?

Visitation?

• Who?
• Where?
• Monitored?

Intended parents are required to complete a questionnaire which introduces him/her/them to the potential surrogate mother. The following questions may be included on your questionnaire:

Name and Age:

When and where were you born?

Where were you raised?

How many siblings do you have?

What order were you born? (youngest, eldest, only child?)

Is your mother living? Is your father living? Are all your siblings living? If not, at what age did they pass away?

How long will the home study take? How much does a home study cost? What might disqualify our family from adopting?

The Child Welfare Information Gateway takes you through the process.

Listen when your kids talk. Show your love. Praise them. Be consistent. Spend time with them. These parenting ideals may seem obvious but it helps to be reminded of them.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers guidelines to help your children grow up healthy and happy.

If you are considering donor sperm insemination as a way to build your family, consider the following questions:

• Does the clinic have its own sperm bank? If not, which sperm banks does the practice or clinic use?
• Does the clinic provide a list of sperm banks?

If the clinic provides the donor sperm, ask the clinic the following questions:

• Does the clinic use samples from a commercial sperm bank or does it have its own donors?