A severe shortage of would-be adoptive parents has led to a campaign by the NCH children’s charity to attract men and women in their forties who may have left it too late to start a family.
About 6,000 children are said to be waiting for adoption but fewer than 10 % of adopters are over 45.
NCH allows men and women in their fifties to adopt but a poll carried out by ICM for the charity says that two thirds of those questioned feel over forty is too old to adopt.
2006-11-08 23:40:58 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
i don't think you can as long as you can psychically and fanatically take care of those children, they why not.
2006-11-08 23:42:46 · answer #1 · answered by Heather 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Age should have nothing to do with adopting children. a study should be made of all wanting to adopt and if they have the means and are capable then they should be allowed to adopt.
Old men come over here to Asia to live and have children with young Asian girls and seem to do quite well. Some are even older than I am and I feel I am much too old to be rearing children. Then I really do not like them around me so I should not say others would not be good parents.
The 6000 figure sure is only a tiny part of the number of children that need a home. I would bet it is closer to six million. or more.
The agency you mentioned may have 6000 to try and find homes for but that would be just a drop in the bucket as they would say.
2006-11-09 08:00:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think it would be reasonable to put a combined age of 85-90 as the upper limit - for example, I'm 34 and MOH is 41 therefore our combined age is 75. If you have both people in a couple over 45, then you have to look at the higher possibility of them not being around to support their adopted children for the number of years required. It also depends on the age of the child adopted - it you're talking about a baby, thats different to a 10 year old being adopted by a 50 year old. At 41 my husband is too old to adopt through many local authorities, and that would seem a little harsh in this day and age where women still give birth in their early 40s.
2006-11-09 07:51:18 · answer #3 · answered by mrs2moo 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I don't think so, why anyone would think someone over 40 is too old to adopt is crazy, lots of couples over the years have had their children in their forties and it wasn't a problem then, I think at that age people tend to be more settled and more relaxed too, how many people out there who are 40 plus are actually looking after their grandchildren full time so that the parents can earn a decent living, lots of grandparents are child minders and more than capable of looking after and bringing up kids themselves, its a crazy world and as long as you have your faculties about you and love in your heart then I see no age restriction to adoption.
2006-11-09 08:11:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No age limit, but they are looking for the age gap between potential parent and the kid to be abou 45 years on average, or younger (I was watching this on TV yesterday). There should be no limit really, I am sure more mature people will not want to be 'burdened' with a child in their pension years so they wouldn't adopt, whereas for people in their 40s (or under) who are mature, not too old, financially and emotionally stable, steady jobs, this could be an ideal time to adopt.
2006-11-09 07:58:51 · answer #5 · answered by ribena 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
hi, i feel pulled in to 2 thoughts about this, on one hand if you adopt at an older age you are more financial secure and can give a better start to a child, also you will have gained more experience of life and be able to cope better, plus you will be more settled and not want to go out as much as you would in your twenties or thirties, but on the other hand....you may become ill , by the time your child is an adult and has children of their own you may not even be alive to share it or help them out, but i guess at the end of the day if you can help a child and give it lots of love and make it happy safe and secure wether you are 29 or 69 then that should be all that matters.
2006-11-09 09:42:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure of the requirements when adopting, they may be an age limit within reason, I mean if you were like 97 and wanted to adopt a baby, I don't think they would allow you to adopt. But older people adopt, just as long as they meet the requirements of the adoption agency.
2006-11-09 07:45:17 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I believe that a person cannot be too old to adopt. as long as you have the capacity to LOVE and CARE for the adopted Child, you should not be hampered by "unemotional" legislations and regulations. I believe that putting a cap on the age of adoptive parents will not be in the interest of the children on the waiting list as it would reduce the number of people willing to adopt and care for these children.
2006-11-09 08:06:05 · answer #8 · answered by King of Torts 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think 40s is fine. But this surprises me, because I have some very very good friends who have been trying to adopt for 10 years. They are on several wait lists. Strange that there would be a shortage of parents....
2006-11-09 07:47:37 · answer #9 · answered by angelsteps51 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My experience with the adoption system is with "difficult to place" children in their teens - 13 and older.
Many biological parents in their forties and fifties have teenage children. I see no problem with having an older couple adopt children of any age. An older couple may be more stable in their own relationship, more financially stable, with perhaps greater experience at raising children, if they have any biological children of their own or have previously adopted.
2006-11-09 07:51:12 · answer #10 · answered by sparky52881 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
according to the government, there is no upper age limit for adopting a child. Though they will have to go through the checks like anyone else and few people may have health problems that can stop them from adopting.
2006-11-09 07:45:45 · answer #11 · answered by smudge 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋