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LOL! You weren't supposed to be scared off. By "unusual" I meant just that - not typical.
Most people prefer to adopt infants.
Fewer people prefer to adopt elementary-school-aged children.
Even fewer people prefer to adopt teenagers.
It's just a statistic, and if adopting a teenager is what you want to do, then the statistics of how many other people do the same thing shouldn't worry you too much.
Some good resources include the "Foster Care & Adoption" boards and the "Special Needs" boards here at AdoptionForums. Most teenagers available for adoption are in the foster care system, and all foster children over the age of toddlerhood are considered special needs, since almost 100% children in foster care are the survivors of severe abuse or neglect, and those older than toddlerhood were old enough to remember being treated that way.
Some books include "Adopting the Hurt Child" and "Parenting the Hurt Child", both by Keck and Kupecky. There's more really good books that escape me at the moment, but you can start there.
Good luck!
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