MOORESVILLE, N.C. — A Mooresville couple trying to have a family was shocked at the cost of the process and came to WCNC Charlotte looking for answers.
Tim and Meredith Prawdzik can't have kids the old-fashioned way, so they decided to adopt, thinking they could do it on their. However, the couple was surprised when they faced one hurdle after the next.
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For now, the Prawdziks have two dogs they consider kids, but they're eager to grow their family.
"The dogs are the children now," Meredith Prawdzik said. "Two labradoodles keep us on our toes and keep us busy, but they would make great siblings, also."
After doctors said natural childbirth was unlikely, the couple started to make backup plans. That proved to be quite difficult, too.
"We looked into IVF," Meredith said. "We decided there are so many kids that need a home that we'd rather do that."
They initially looked into foster care, but because the goal is typically to reunite kids with their birth families, the Prawdziks decided they'd rather consider adoption. But things quickly turned when they started talking to adoption agencies.
"We came to the conclusion we don't want to pay $50,000 or some crazy amount of money for someone to help you," Tim Prawdzik said.
Meredith agreed, saying there has to be another solution for people thinking about adoption.
"I look at it as that's money I can put toward the child," she said. "Making sure they have a good education, things they're going to need. I don't feel like it should be that expensive to give a child a good home."
The couple talked to a few agencies and even paid for a home visit through NC Homestudies, an adoption agency based in Monroe that assists families across North Carolina. Ultimately, things always seem to boil down to money, leaving this couple very frustrated.
"The thing we run into is when we reach out to agencies, they don't want to accept it," Meredith said. "They want you to pay again to go through their home study, which is crazy because what we have is already licensed."
With traditional methods out of the equation, they've been trying to do it on their own.
"We figured with the internet today and social media, we'd get the word out and do it ourselves and what happened?" Tim said. "We were a little naive going into it."
Recent stats from the National Council for Adoption show that 53% of adoptions in North Carolina were from foster care. Private adoptions made up 46% of adoptions in the state, with the bulk of those involving stepparents or agency help.
"If you're doing it on your own, it's very against you, which always kind of shocks me," Tim explained. "We're a loving family and home. We'll be fine with a toddler, a pair of siblings would be great. Boy, girl, we're not super picky."
Contact Michelle Boudin at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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