Never done it, know nothing aboot it, but I applaud ya'll for considering it!   

I seriously thought about doing the same thing.  Talked to several people that were knowledgeable about adopting older children.  I was told that the adoption agency will not tell you if there is a serious problem with any of the children.  Even if you ask.  Apparently, there are quite a few children with serious problems due to drugs, neglect, cruelty, etc. all kinds of things you would never even think of.  One person that adopted a child that I knew had a problem with knifes and tried to kill them.  What's so bad is that the Adoption Agencies WILL NOT tell you and you could end up with a really bad situation.  JIC, I thought you should know.

[QUOTE=JimG] [/QUOTE]

There should be an agency within your state or local government structure with all kinds of information available for prospective foster or adoptive parents.  Many years ago my wife and I went through a 6 week information session to prepare us for the adoption of a troubled child.  It was designed to give us all the information we could absorb about bringing a child with varying degrees of issues into our "normal" family unit.  It really challenged us to do some soul searching to make sure this was the right thing for us to do.

JimG, for what it's worth, a very close friend of mine adopted two infants some years ago, a couple of years apart. They were from different mothers. The girl turned out to be bright, personable, and pretty much the ideal child.

The boy--who was a very attractive-looking baby--grew up to be an extremely disturbed, and violent, individual. He too was the offspring of a cocaine-addicted mother. Ultimately, after attempting psychiatric counseling, medical treatments, aid from social workers, etc., he had to be institutionalized.

I don't know if there's any useful conclusion that can be drawn from her emotionally wrenching experience; but to me anyway, it revealed just how much damage drug abuse may do during pregnancy.

In any event, I also applaud you and your wife for considering adoption of an older child. I just hope you're able to get as much information as possible in advance. The anguish and heartbreak that my friend went through for years isn't something I'd wish on anyone. But maybe with an older child, there's a better chance of being able to detect serious psychological problems and therefore make a more informed decision.

Good luck with yours.

My wife and I adopted through our local Agency(Baltimore County ,Md)We adopted an 11 year old and the county disclosed all of the information they had,Health,Family History, etc.Most adoption agencies we contacted wanted between $15,000-$100,00. We wanted to adopt a child,Not BUY ONE! Going through the county took us approx.10 months and cost us $500.Greatest thing we ever did!!! (and that includes buying the Vette!)

I was adopted (of course it was many years ago) from the Children's Home Society of Florida. Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, was also adopted through the Children's Home Society. (I believe they are all over the US.)

I haven't done any research to know if they have older children, but they could probably provide you with information on other agencies.   

Through them, I have a record of all family medical history, and know just about everything about them exept for their names. My brother and sister were adopted through the same organization and have the same information about their birth parents.

Good luck in your quest.   

Jim,  My wife and I are adoptive parents and we went through the state of Calif( no fees). If I had the energy left after raising our child I could write a book. It has been 18 yrs. since we began the process.I have been married 3 times. my current wife and I had a child together and she wanted more kids she said, so I suggested adoption for the same reasons you stated. After signing on with the state, they refered us to the county to get a foster license for the period a child might be in your home before the adoption becomes final.The fed.,state and county Gov. all checked us out every which way but loose, to be sure we weren't wierdos.The state doesn't do foster placements so they were very slow and careful about compatible offerings. We refused to be foster parents because we couldn't stand the heartbreak of temporary placements but the county kept offering children to us for possible adoption and once placed with us some distant relative would come forward and fight for custody and win( I suppose it is only right) This went on through sibling groups and singles totaling 13 children including a 2 day old that we picked up from the hospital who's mother was a crack user. We brought the child back to earth through some horrifying times in withdrawal but after 8 months her family showed up and regained custody.Our hearts broken for the last time, we gave up, only to be approached by the state with thier 1st offering and a garranty that the whole family was giving up the child. We're fools, but sight unseen we accepted a 14 mo. old boy who's parents were on drugs. He was a beautiful blond haired chid with brown eyes and we love him dearly to this day. He just turned 18 last summer and after several attemps and returns he has left home once again knowing he is always welcome back home.He is a handsome and loving young man  who has never touched drugs but the damage done to him by his parents abuse is still with him mentally and physically though you can't tell by looking. I would never dare to advise any one in matters of life such as this, but I have volumes of stories and info on the subject that I and my wife would be willing to share were you interested. You are welcome to PM us through the forum. Sorry, didn't mean to be so long winded, but this just barely scratches the surface.     Jimmy and Mickey B