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 and was adopted domestically at the age of 15 months. At adoption, her parents were 40 and 42. They are both still living.

Mickey is 33 and was adopted domestically as a newborn. Her parents were 41 and 51. Her father passed away three years ago.

Kath is 39 and was adopted as a two-year-old from Korea. Her parents were 39 and 48. Her father passed away when she was in high school at the age of 63.

Claire is 15, was adopted domestically when she was four and chooses not to discuss the circumstances of her adoption. Her parents were both 50 and are both living.

SHB:
When did you first notice that your parents were 'older'?

Kris:
I must have been in middle school when it first hit me that parents came in younger packages, too. One of my girlfriends had a father who looked a lot like one of the "Dukes of Hazzard" guys, which I thought was really weird. I couldn't imagine slobbing around the house in pajamas when a dad like that was home.

Mickey:
My grandmother died when I was nine, and that started me worrying that my parents were old and going to die soon. I remember discussing this with my best friend and next-door neighbor, and she told me she had the same fear. Her parents were probably not even thirty at the time. They all seemed old to us.

Kath:
When my dad died, I was 15. It was terrible, and I don't think I ever stopped worrying about my mom after that. I know now that he was young when he died, but at the time 63 seemed way old. When my mom had her 64th birthday I was very relieved.

Claire:
My parents looked old to me from the very beginning. In fact, they both look the same to me now as they did when I first met them.

The questions and answers continue in the next post.