Why So Many Couples Look For Babies For Adoption

In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to write articles about a couple of adoption agencies and families who want to adopt. The thing that struck me the most is that all of the families that I spoke to were looking for babies for adoption and not older children. I wondered why that was, but I did not want to ask any of the families themselves, so I spoke to a couple of the agencies and got some interesting responses, some of which I can understand, and others, quite frankly, that don't make any sense to me at all!

One of the things that a lot of adoption agencies told me was that parents look for babies for adoption more often because they feel like it is more their child. Many parents believe if they adopt a baby, they are raising it from such a young age that it might as well be their own, because all the baby has ever known is their love and nurturing. With a child that is even a few years old, some parents feel that they will not bond as well as they would with a baby, and therefore are only interested in adopting a baby.

Another reason that I heard for why some parents opt for babies for adoption is concern over emotional issues from having been raised in an orphanage or under foster care. I spoke with one couple, for instance, that said they saw a number of children who had been removed from certain foster homes because of abuse, and while they certainly felt for those children, they were also not sure if those children could ever really trust anyone. I think that is sad, but there might be a point to that as well.

One of the things that I heard from one of the adoption agencies that really repulsed me was that more people choose babies for adoption because they believe that babies are more lovable than older children. One person told me that she had suggested a number of young children to a woman who actually made faces before asking if there were any babies. I just cannot imagine seeing a group of children in that situation and not wanting to take them all home, much less acting like they are not as desirable as babies just because they are a few years older!

The reasons some people look for babies for adoption over older children are many. That is not to say that there are not adoptive parents out there who have adopted older children. I have just met many such parents who were only interested in babies, and would not even give the older children a chance.