Adoption Adoption is a feature in that allows the Dragonborn to adopt certain children . Prerequisites . In order to adopt a child , either a house with a children ' s bedroom , or a homestead furnished with a bed and a chest is required . In a homestead , a child ' s bed can be fitted in the Bedrooms or a single bed fitted in the Main Hall . When in the Main Hall the dresser in between the two single beds counts as a chest for both possible children . Otherwise , if there are two child beds , there must be two child chests . If there are two beds but one chest , adoption will still not be allowed . Adoptable children . Children may be adopted either from cities , where they can be found roaming the streets , or from Honorhall Orphanage in Riften . Cities . Adopting a child from a city simply requires asking them about their circumstances . After this they can be asked if they would like to be adopted . If the prerequisites are met they will display their gratitude and arrange to meet the Dragonborn back home . Children who can be found in cities are : Honorhall Orphanage . Adopting a child from Honorhall Orphanage is only possible if the quest " Innocence Lost " has been completed and the headmistress , Grelod the Kind , is dead . Constance Michel takes over and sends out a letter urging people to consider adoption . If choosing to adopt from Honorhall , she will be pleased but is required to first ask a few questions , one of which is what the Dragonborn ' s occupation is . The following answers are possible : Replying as Dragonborn , Harbinger or Arch - Mage will result in amazement and disbelief from Constance . Thief and Assassin results in her complaining about wasting her time and Adventurer and Mercenary are met with indifference . She then asks where the child will be living . If a suitable home is owned , including a child ' s bed and chest , then it will appear as a possible reply . Choose a home and she ' ll congratulate the Dragonborn on becoming a parent . She then asks that the Dragonborn can go meet the children and decide who to adopt . The children who are available by default are : If the prerequisites are not met she will refuse adoption , mentioning that the life of an adventurer is not exactly a safe or reliable profession . She needs to be sure the child will have a safe and stable home to grow up in . She finishes by urging the Dragonborn to buy a house and furnish it and then come back . Other . Other children from across Skyrim are sent to Honorhall Orphanage if their parents die . Once they are at Honorhall , they can be adopted . Alternatively , one may be able to adopt them on the spot before they ' re sent to the orphanage . These children include : If the child ' s parents are killed by the Dragonborn and the crime is noted by the guards or observed by the child , adoption may not be possible . Children may be " aware " that their parents were killed by the Dragonborn even if the crime was committed while hidden , rendering adoption impossible . It is possible , however , to guarantee adoption after killing a child ' s parents . Immediately after committing the crime , by bribing the guards and Calming the child for a certain period , it is possible for children to reach the " acceptance " phase , when it becomes possible to open dialogue with them again . They say things such as " ( sigh ) , " and " What . . . what am I gonna do ? " and at this point , it becomes possible to adopt them . It seems there is limited space in the orphanage , it can hold eleven children altogether , including the four that have always lived there . If the orphaned child doesn ' t show up at Honorhall within a few days , they likely are still in the place they originally lived . Interactions . Once a child has been adopted , they will tell the Dragonborn that they will go to their new home . Once there , there are a few possible interactions that can be made with them . These include : Gifts . Occasionally , an adopted child may give their parent a gift . These include : Moving . An adopted child can be moved to a different home . The dialog option " It ’ s time for us to move " is used which opens a list of eligible homes . The child will respond with " Okay , I ' ll meet you there , " when the new location is selected . ( If the move is cancelled the child will respond with " Aw , stop teasing me . " ) The child will be at the new home when it is next visited . Any pet the child has will also follow .