mel@mtuxo.UUCP (m.haas) (07/27/85)
Most people who want to adopt a child prefer a baby girl. Boys beyond 4 years old are considered to be "hard to place." A child still in an orphanage or in foster care after age 5 has little chance of being adopted. We adopted John at 4 and David at 7, and have had no problems due to their age. Both kids are as affectionate and bonded to us as a child raised from babyhood would be. We were afraid that John would be so institutionalized, old, and set in his ways that he would not be affectionate or loving. It was a needless fear; John was warm, cuddly, and loving from day one, and still is at age 13. David has also been loving and cuddly from the start. He loves to hug and kiss. A child's "oldness" is a relative term. Our Virginia at 12 is young. We see David as being very young. The kids left behind in the orphanages because they are "too old" are still kids. Kids who need love, nurturing, education, and a family. The most heart rending section of our adoption group newsletter is the page of pictures of older kids waiting for a home. David's picture was there month after month - but he is home now. We are haunted by the faces of these children who were listed with David and appear again in this month's issue. Will they ever have a family to love them?