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I was 42 when my husband and I adopted our 5.5 month old son from Russia. I'm pushing 46 and we're in the process of adopting son No. 2. To me, there is a definite benefit to being an older mom. I interact differently with my son than I have noticed parents and his contemporaries do. I talk to him on a different level and in retrun he has matured at a greater rate than most of his peers. Additionally, he has a tendency to be much more courteous, much more level headed and much less prone to negative outbursts. (which is not to say he doesn't have his moments. He's a perfectly normal kid.) I think, in my case, were I younger when we adopted, I wouldn't have had the maturity to interact with him in the way I do. The downside, of course, does not affect him so much now as when he begins to get older and there is a noticeable difference between me and the parents of his friends. I don't have the energy level of a 20 year old. But I have confidence in our relationship that when those times come, he will be sufficiently armed to deal with them. I think more than anything it is not age that matters nearly so much as the level of maturity and commitment to the relationship.
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