“Brangelina” have scoured the globe looking for children to make their own.  But you don’t have to be a Hollywood star to adopt.  There are no set requirements for an adoptive parent’s age, wealth, social status, beauty or home square footage.  The only requirement in most states is the level of love, understanding and guidance a parent can offer a child.  Some states do not even require two parents, in California 25% of adoptive parents are single.

An adoption is a legal process where the adoptive parents are given permanent parental rights over a child.  At the same time, the child’s natural parents’ parental rights are terminated.  A parent may voluntarily give up their rights by filing a relinquishment with the court or the court may terminate the parental rights on its own initiative.  Involuntary termination normally requires child abuse, abandonment or some other illegal act.

An adoption is different from the appointment of a non-parental legal guardian.  A legal guardian is a person appointed by the court to temporarily care for a child.  It is a temporary order because the order is vacated on the child’s 18th birthday.  Your parents will always be your parents.  The guardian is also under the supervision of the court.  A judge may overturn a guardian’s decision and may also change a minor’s guardian.  In the eyes of the law an adoptive parent is the child’s parent, permanently.  Once an adoption is finalized the courts have no power over the parents and child.

Brad and Angelina were not given special treatment.  Any parent who is a citizen can bring an adopted child into the United States.  If the adoption is finalized in the child’s home country the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 allows the adopted child to acquire U.S. citizenship automatically on the date they enter the United States as a lawful permanent resident.