Older people can be good parents too

Everyone desires the experience of parenthood — especially the joy of raising a very young child and journeying through all the highs and lows that come with it. The sleepless nights, the first words, the first steps, the emotional bonding, the struggles and celebrations — these are experiences many prospective adoptive parents long for deeply.

However, in adoption, emotions alone cannot determine placement decisions.

In India, Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has laid down regulations that determine the eligibility of prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) for children belonging to different age groups. One of the important criteria considered is the age of the adoptive parents themselves. View the table below to understand the criterion set forth in the regulations:

At first glance, some people may find these age criteria restrictive or disappointing, particularly when older PAPs wish to adopt very young children. But the reasoning behind this policy is rooted in one of the most fundamental principles of adoption:

Every adoption decision must always be in the best interest of the child.

The objective of adoption is not merely to fulfill the dreams of adults who wish to become parents. More importantly, it is to ensure that the child grows up in a stable, secure, emotionally healthy, and supportive environment for the long term.

This is where the age criterion becomes important.

Placing a very young child with significantly older PAPs may unintentionally expose the child to future emotional and practical challenges. As the child grows, there may come a stage where the adoptive parents themselves begin to depend on the child for their own care and support due to age-related health issues. In the unfortunate event of serious illness or demise of the adoptive parents while the child is still young, the child may once again face trauma, instability, insecurity, or even the loss of parental care.

The regulations therefore aim to minimize the possibility of a child experiencing repeated emotional disruption after already losing one family environment earlier in life.

For this reason, when PAPs register on the CARINGS portal, the system automatically offers children from age groups considered appropriate based on the age of the prospective adoptive parents. This matching process is designed not to discriminate against older parents, but to safeguard the long-term welfare and emotional security of the child.

Adoption, at its heart, is a child-centric process. While the desires and expectations of adults are important and deeply respected, the guiding principle must always remain the same:

What serves the best interest of the child — not just today, but throughout the child’s future.

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