I have a dear friend who spent a good bit of her adult life longing for motherhood. For all the usual reasons ... career building, late finding of soul mate, infertility ... plans to make a baby from scratch didn't pan out. At the age of forty-nine, she and her husband brought home a darling little girl from Cambodia. That was almost two years ago, and not a day goes by that she doesn't almost fall to her knees in gratitude for the miracle that adoption has been for her and her family.

It's sweet to see. My friend has transformed; life now has real meaning... more

There's been some follow up to a story I posted about last month on eighty-something grandparents losing custody of their grandson to foster care.

The grandparents, Morris (88) and Mildred (85) Brasovankin, are fighting to bring their hyperactive grandson home, and the question they are facing from all quarters is, of course: How old... more

Does the act of dropping to the floor cause a racket of clacking, pops and creaks not unlike a fierce game of mahjong on a three-legged table?

Is every dip of the hips accompanied by an exhale that sounds way too much like old Uncle Merv lowering himself into his Baralounger?

If once you've actually placed yourself on floor level, does the chance of remaining there for the rest of your days seem a definite possibility?

Yeah ... I know ... me, too.

One of the great things about being an older adoptive parent is the fact... more

"Do you know how old you'll be when that kid is a teen?"

Heard that? Yeah ... I'll be you have.

Does it scare you? No?

What? Are you simple, or something? Because it certainly should!

Not that your status as an older adoptive parent should be the root of all fear. No. Any parent of any age should tremble at the thought of sharing space with raging hormones, perceptions of wisdom far beyond what years would indicate, and the potential for mistakes with dire and life-long consequences.

Teens are scary,... more

The warm fuzzies that bubbled up while reading about the stretching mega-givers starting popping pretty darned fast when this came along soon after the article on benvolence.

Starting out by detailing the latest in fashions for kids ... $88 for a pair of the cutest red shorts, and a pair of jeans... more

I came across two stories back-to-back in this morning's perusal of newsal that caused a physical response that felt like something Sybil, the famous multiple personality woman could have experienced regularly ... bang! zowie! huh? boy howdy! ... the world can sure look different one moment to the next!

First, this, on people who give and give and give ... mega-givers, so to speak, those who... more

This post starts off having nothing to do with adoption, but when I saw the headline, "How Old is Too Old?" in this story I had to take a closer look.

So, what else besides the contemplation of adopting small children could possibly prompt a question like that?

How old is too old for learning to ski? Nope. Geezers take that up every winter and some resorts have special classes for the careful-about-the-old-bones set.

How old is too old... more

Thanks to suggestions from readers I've started posting some questions and answers on older parents. The introduction is here, followed by embarrassment and negatives here. SHB: Adopted by older parents as you were,... more

Thanks to suggestions from readers I've started posting some questions and answers on older parents. The introduction is here. SHB: Many older adoptive parents worry that their age will be an embarrassment to their kids when those kids hit the teen years. Any comment?

Kris: All parents are an embarrassment... more

I asked a while back for suggestions for topics for this Older Parent blog, as I was feeling idea-depleted. Some great thoughts came in, including a couple about seeking the perspective of adoptees who have parents that were up there in age when their kids came home. I put the word around in a few places I frequent that I had a few questions and was looking for people who'd be interested in answering. Here are brief descriptions:

Kris is 37-years-old... more