Adopting newborn at 52 years old?

[Anonymous]

I think it's wonderful. She seems that she will be a wonderful mother, and she has a lot of interesting / valuable life experience behind her that I think will be assets and support her and her daughter well during their life journey together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The news broke today that Hoda Kotb from The Today Show has adopted an 8 day old baby. I'm happy for her, but 52 and a single parent seems extremely old and frankly, unfair to the child.

No doubt, her daughter will have a great life with nannies, a nice lifestyle, hopefully a good inheritance. But it does seem awfully old to be starting your family, especially as a single parent where your chlid is left with a guardian if you die. She'll be 70 when her daughter graduates high school.

It's not easy to adopt a healthy infant, so it also feels like her money/fame is making it possible for her to get a child others wouldn't have the same chance at.

Thoughts? Should there be an upper age limit on adopting infants? (There already is with many international adoptions, not sure about domestic/foster care.)

Unfair to the child? BS! I wish she would adopt me! Americans are so damned ageist, especially against women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Unfair to the child? BS! I wish she would adopt me! Americans are so damned ageist, especially against women.

Nature is pretty ageist too, I suppose. The average age of menopause is 51.

[Anonymous]

Most parents, biological or adoptive, have some characteristic that makes them less than ideal. They may be old, young, not affluent, undereducated, lacking in good communication or relationship skills, unambitious, have jobs that require long hours or lots of travel, have family histories rife with cancer, mental illness, heart disease or addiction. They may be smart but flaky or organized and judgmental.

Those same parents probably have a lot of great qualities that benefit their children, and a lot of those strengths are directly connected to their faults. That's life with humans.

[Anonymous]

I personally think that's too old, but presumably she was chosen by a birth mother who felt she was not too old. She clearly has the money to hire assistance, should she need it, which is more than most of America, including I, can say.

I'm an adult adoptee, by the way, whose parents were definitely considered old in the 1970s.

[Anonymous]

Who are we to judge?

You seem to have an issue with the fact that she's single. Life has no guarantees on anything. Married couples split not that infrequently. As long as she's able to provide a stable, safe environment to the baby it's all the matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I have just been chosen by a birthmother to adopt her baby boy due in 5 weeks. We are 48 and 50. This is after a long process of miscarriage and IVF. We are healthy, take care of ourselves and have the means. Are we too old? As far as we can tell the pregnancy is healthy and so is our soon to be little boy. We've gotten medical records and have email exchanges and Skype meetings with our birthmother.

It's not about the pregnancy or infant being healthy, it's about *you and your husband* being healthy, of course. You're being obtuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Thoughts?". You are stupid, a horrible person or both.

+1,000,000

And living in the 1950s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I have just been chosen by a birthmother to adopt her baby boy due in 5 weeks. We are 48 and 50. This is after a long process of miscarriage and IVF. We are healthy, take care of ourselves and have the means. Are we too old? As far as we can tell the pregnancy is healthy and so is our soon to be little boy. We've gotten medical records and have email exchanges and Skype meetings with our birthmother.

Congratulations! I hope everything goes smoothly. All the best to you.

[Anonymous]

It's 2017 people. Hoda has love in her heart to share with a child so wish her good luck and go on about your business.

[Anonymous]

Not sure about infants, but I have a single friend who is in her early 40s who has adopted 3 kids. All were over age 5 when she adopted. All are from the US, white, no medical issues, and went through an agency. The first one took some time, but the other two were much faster.

I can't believe Hoda is 52! For some reason I thought she was in her mid-to-late 40s. I say good for her. She's got the means to do it, so why not? Maybe when she was diagnosed with cancer she didn't think to freeze her eggs. Or maybe she did and has battled infertility privately. I'd rather see any child get adopted than age out of the system. Whether adopted by a single person, gay, trans, Muslim, etc. just to have that sense of family and love is better than none.

[Anonymous]

PP that is the soon-to-be adoptive mother. I was not being obtuse mentioning the health of the baby. The OP mentioned that healthy infants weren't so easy to find/adopt and I was pointing out that our baby boy was healthy from all indications we coukd see. However, I do agree that adoption is an expensive process and it would potentially knock out lots of people who could not afford it.

[Anonymous]

There are babies who need homes. She is providing one. It appears to be a loving home, with an abundance of comforts many children won't ever know.

I have nothing to say but congratulations to her and her new baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Thoughts?". You are stupid, a horrible person or both.

+1,000,000

And living in the 1950s.

+1,000,000,000

I know Hoda personally (she is a longtime family friend) and while I won't get into the specifics of her situation, I will say that she is going to be an amazing mother. She has so much love to give and just from how she treated my sisters and I when we were growing up, I know that this child will thrive with her. OP, you must be an absolute miserable person to have anything negative to say about someone who is giving a baby who needs a home a stellar home, full of warmth, love, and care. This child will never want for anything and will literally be given the world. I just can't wait to meet her and spoil her myself!

[Anonymous]

At a time when women routinely live to be 100+ years old, in the case of a fit, vibrant woman like Hoda, why not? Seems she'll be an excellent mother, luck child!