[hp2adopt]

My DH & I are in the process of adopting through fost-adopt program in N Cal.
Although we are primarily interested in ages 0-4, we also indicated that we would be interested in an older child if it was a good match for us.

So far, our homestudy has been submitted a few times for a variety of ages as of the past few weeks.

In one particular case, we see a very good match for a young girl who is slightly older at age 9. Based on her profile, she seems to be a very good match for us, and it is surprising to us that we would be so interested since we originally were looking at a much younger age group (and still are). I guess you could say that we are "expanding" our options.

The only concern that we have is how a child at that age would typically bond with new adoptive parents? Mostly, this girl has been raised within the family, and seems to have very minimal behavioral issues and a very happy attitude overall.

Any comments or feedback about the bonding / attachment situation for an older child? Are there particular issues at this age level that we should be aware of, and do adoptive parents ever be considered as "parents" to a child at this age? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

[athikers]

I think an older child will always "know" that you're not their birthparent (verses a toddler or infant who won't really remember). But, I believe you can certainly become their "real" parents, at any age. My two adopted sisters weren't adopted by my dad until they were 25 and 21, but they are still very much HIS daughters.

[DianeScraps]

My oldest was 8 when we finalized the adoption 7/06.

She does 'know' where she came from as another posted mentioned, but she is very much bonded to us. I would say it took about 9 months till the bonding started to get very strong.

HTH!

Diane