Myth Busters: We Are Too Old To Adopt!

You may be thinking, "I am too old to adopt" when in fact the opposite may be true! You may be the perfect age to adopt. Andrew and I found that many countries put age limits on how young adoptive parents can be! We were too young to adopt from China and Haiti.

At some point, a couple does become too old to adopt. But that age might not be as young as you think. The couple on the video below were "empty nesters" (they had already raised two daughters) when God lead them to adopt!

What are the age limits when it comes to adoptive parents? That depends on the type of adoption. Many people couples adopt in their 40s and even 50s!

International Adoption 

Every countries all sets their own requirements. If I listed all the countries and their requirements, this blog post would by way too long.  The three countries listed below are examples. You can look up the requirements of all countries that the US allows children to be adopted from at the the US Department of State website. (Some agencies also set additional requirements. You may need to search to find an agency that will accept you.)

• China - Both the husband and wife must be at least 30 years old and under age 50. If adopting a special needs child, both must be between the ages of 30 and 55.
• Russia -  For single persons who wish to adopt, there must be a 16 year age difference between the prospective parent and the prospective child. There are no age requirements for married couples. However, there is an unwritten rule that there can not be more than 45 years of age difference between the child being adopted and the adopting mother. (Example: If the child is 9, the mother can be no older than 54.)
• Ethiopia - If single, the prospective adoptive parent must be at least 25 years of age. If married, there is no minimum age. There also is no maximum age limit for adoptive parents. However, Ethiopian Government practice is to limit the age difference between the prospective adoptive parent and the adopted child to no more than 40 years

 

Domestic Adoption from Foster Care

Almost one in four adopted children lives happily with an adoptive parent 55 years or older. I have not seen age limits on how old a foster parent can be, only on how young. Check with you local department of job and family services as adoptive parent requirements could vary from state to state.

 

Domestic Infant Adoption

This may be the hardest way for older parents to adopt because agencies may set their own requirements and birth mothers choose with whom they want to place their baby.