Have been getting some insight into family law practice by a Ft Worth attorney, and was contemplating the difference of experience in adopting teenagers, rather than infants or young children.

Anyone have thoughts they'd care to share?

If you don�t like them you have less time to keep them around. That�s all I got.

My roommate in college was adopted as a teenager who spent the majority of his life in the system, he is one of the nicest most grateful people I have ever met and loves his family.

I'm sure it's pretty challenging. Biological children are bad enough at that age. I couldn't imagine how some kid that's been kicked around the system can be.

Conversely, they could be the best kids ever out of gratitude for having a stable family unit now.

I'd say the odds favor the kid falling into one or the other extreme. Grateful, kind, loving and eager to please; or damaged beyond much hope of recovery. Kudos to those parents willing to take on that responsibility.

For my first go around, I would adopt one that is 17-1/2 years old.

Seriously though, I commend anyone who would adopt and even more for a teenager.

My neighbor across the street married and guy last year. He adopted her teenage daughter (12 or 13)... This year they're getting a divorce. From what I've heard he is going to have to pay child support and keep insurance on the kid.

My wife is an Attorney that does a lot of work with CPS. She has been involved in several adoptions of teenagers. Usually it has been some sort of family member that stepped up. A couple have been foster parents adopting. Always interesting.

I would think fostering would be the first step. There was an expose some time ago (years) about CPS hiding issues that were extremely troubling.

Some friends of mine adopted 3 siblings, the oldest being 13. The boy was a bit more problematic the first couple of years (my sister was his teacher and the stories of what he did in class were pretty epic), however, he's seemingly turned his life around and is doing very well. He starts his senior year in August. His sisters were 8 and 5 when my friends adopted them. They've always been pretty good kids.

Another friend took in a 15 year old that was kicked out of his house after he told his parents Thursday he was gay. He was the best friend of her oldest son. She didn't formally adopted him, but calls him her son and he calls her Mom. He just graduated from TCU and is doing well. He started speaking to his biological parents about 18 months ago. Their relationship is very superficial.

I can imagine it can go either way, whether you're adopting a young child, or a teenager. A lot will depend upon their childhood, if they were abused, if the mom was on drugs during the pregnancy, if they've gone through counseling, if a parent that's adopting can be a stay at home parent, how patient the adoptive parent is, etc. Kudos to anyone that is willing to do it.

I tried to put them up for adoption but nobody wanted them.

Finally a good joke .... or is it a joke?

MAGA

i will take in a kid, when my daughter goes to college
i cannot stand the thought of an empty house