Is 80 years old too old to adopt a child?

I think it would be hard to have the energy to keep up with parenting at 80. Though I’m not 80 so I can’t say for certain. I think volunteering with kids would probably be a more manageable way to spend time with kids and make a meaningful contribution to their lives.

I would say yes, but would make an exception for an older kid, like 16 and older as long as the 80 year old was still in good health.

Of course.
The sad fact is I know a lot of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren because their own kids are drugged out. We’re hoping they have learned how to raise kids.

I think so. If it’s a family member and the person who is adopting is doing so to keep the child out of foster care then the court will probably allow it, but if an 80 year old walked into an adoption agency looking to adopt, I’d think that the answer would be no.

It would be for me.

I can’t see any adoption agency (private or government) approving it.

The fact that there is a non-trivial probability that on the first morning after the adoption, the child finds their adoptive parents dead of old age, means that the answer is yes.

Men are fathering children in their 80’s. But yes, I think it is kind of a selfish move. On the other hand I know a woman who raised two great grandsons because because of a history of substance abuse in the family. She was definitely a more able parent than her son or grand daughter.

It’s an opinion question. CAN you adopt a child at 80 years old? Maybe. They have to do checks to ensure you could be a good parent and the CPS might consider you too old. The other part of the question is sort of: Can you be a good parent at 80 years old? That is a much tougher question. I think the general answer is no. You have the life experience to understand a lot, but you are more out of touch with the issues children face and you likely don’t have the energy or life expectancy to raise a child.

My grandpa looked after me during the summer months when I was on summer break. He either went groceries shopping, with me, or slept all day. I was left to my own devices. Reading porn and doing a 3000 piece jigsaw puzzle in the basement.

I had minimal supervision.

When there was a thread, about Al Pacino’s girlfriend being pregnant, the majority were mad at him.

@MrGrimm888 I can’t get mad at him, but I can shake my head. My take is very simple: what sort of father (or mother) would you be? Let’s say you are 65 when you have a child (adopted or natural). When that child is 10 years old and wanting to do all sorts of things, you will be 75 and unable to do those things with him/her. They either get robbed of doing those things or they get robbed of you doing those things with them. Either way, they get robbed. And it was your doing.

I feel less mad about AL Pacino because his girlfriend is no doubt way younger than 80, so if he drops dead, the child won’t be raised by an 80 year old.

My general opinion is that it’s too old and unfair to the child but I would not rule it out in every circumstance.

I was just mentioning the Pacino post.
I honestly, didn’t fully understand the question.
Are we talking about an 80 year old woman, adopting a 15 year old?
If the adoption is to make the child a recipient of an inheritance, and all kinds of stuff.

I’m tempted to say that a willing someone, is better than no parent…

Life rarely gives us such convenient choices.

It most likely would have to do with inheritance wishes.