Just how old is too old to adopt?

      
Just how old is too old to adopt?

When the prospect of adopting comes to mind for many, the issue of the age of the adoptee commonly doesn't intervene with the process. In the world of adoptions and the families that orphans and children get adopted into, the concept and question can arise, how old is too old to adopt? With many different factors being incorporated into the idea of an older individual or couple wanting to adopt--having both good and bad sides--the issue of adopting at an older age proves to be a controversial one.

Adopting at an age of 40 or older obviously brings in the consideration of the life span of the parent(s) to the child they intend to be caregivers for and raise. While many can live good, long healthy lives, the responsibility of raising a child to adulthood when your life span is at a rockier, less predictable stage blatantly is something to strongly take to mind. Also, while adopting at an older age the concern for the child's physiological development comes into play, being that the child has to deal with not only possibly being of a different ethical group, but also having parents that are much older than other others parents marking them marked "different" further more. And as Betty Laning gives good advice and points in her When are you "Too Old" to Adopt? article, "Teens need tactful parental supervision or parent participation in sports, outdoor activities, social events, etc. If you are 45 when adopting a baby, you'll be 60 when your child is 15. Make a point of having some friends younger than yourself so that they possibly can substitute for you in activities when you find yourself not as young as you used to be!" Expressing that being at such an older age than your adopted child, it may be harder to keep up then it would have been 20 or 30 years prier. 

However, although adopting at an older age may have its cons, it just as well has its pro's also. When adopting at such an age, many share how they feel their more mature and stable in life to be the child's benefactor and take on an additional or first child into their family. As an Adoption under one Roof article shares, "You don’t have to be superman or superwoman. What you don’t have in energy, you make up for in patience, understanding, and life experience" What a great way to state it! Another good aspect to adopting no matter your age is that not only will a child get welcomed into a loving, caring family that they may have never found otherwise, the new mother and or father also get a chance to parenting and having a kid that they may never would have if not through adoption.

Adopting at an older age can prove to be hard, and while some may think there should be a limit to the age that a person should adopt a young one (which very well may be true) all should keep in mind the ever present issue of orphan's and family-less child in the world as well. The state that a person is in mentally and physically differentiates between person to person--not only be the age group that they are in. May this prove to be the dependent view point when making the decision of when is the best age to adopt a child, no matter that individual's age.




 Laning, Betty. "Untitled Document." RainbowKids.com Adoption Information, Support, Child Photolistings, Articles and Resources. 01 June 2006. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. <http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=66>.

Adoption under One Roof. "Older Parent Adoption | Adoption Under One Roof." Adoption Under One Roof | Covering Adoption from Every Angle, Every View, for Everyone. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. <http://ouradopt.com/content/older-parent-adoption>.