Is An Older Child Adoption Really Bad?

Many prospective parents want to adopt a young infant or toddler, instead of an older child. They may not feel they are ready for the responsibilities that are associated with raising an older child. They may feel as if they are not capable of dealing with a child who may have psychological and physical problems stemming from their time in the foster care system. For whatever reason, older child adoption is not rising at the rate of infant adoption. That is a real shame because there are benefits to adopting an older child.

Newborn adoption has always been very popular. Agency adoptions are usually what would-be parents consider. They are more likely to find a newborn or infant with an agency versus state adoptions, such as the Department of Human Services. Unfortunately, most agencies do not handle many older children because it is difficult to find families for them. Why? Because a potential adoptive family is afraid of the problems associated with bringing an older child into their home.

Is this the correct attitude to take? Is an older child adoption really that bad? No it is not. It is giving a child or teenager a chance at a better life. Yes, there will be issues that a baby will not present, but you also have to look at the advantages. There will be no waking in the middle of the night to change a diaper. There will be a different bonding experience because the parents have the opportunity to really communicate and learn about the child.

The best way for a potential adoptive family to see if they can handle having an older child in their home is to try being a foster parent first. By doing so, they can get a feeling for the types of problems that older children might have, especially if they suffered abuse. If they lost their birthparent and birth family, and had no other relatives, or no relatives who willingly stepped up to offer a home, then the foster parents can learn how to deal with this too. Looking into older child adoption is a great option for giving a child a home to call their own. Would-be parents can open their hearts and homes to these abandoned, overlooked kids.