Adult adoption is a fairly common occurrence in CA. Defined as the process where one adult adopts a younger, unrelated adult, this type of adoption isn’t often at the forefront of family law discussions.

Making the choice to adopt a child can be an exciting and sometimes stressful process for those who want to become parents. There’s extensive paperwork involved for opposite sex and same sex couples alike and then a potentially long waiting period for an answer. The couple wanting to adopt will also have to go through an intense interviewing process to make sure everything checks out from a legal stance in order to be considered fit for parenting. Given all this red tape, what does this mean for those who identify as transgender and who are also wanting to adopt?

Divorce rates appear to be on the decline due to wary millennials waiting longer to settle down and marry, yet divorce rates after the age of 50 have been steadily increasing in the U.S. since the early nineties. Gray divorce (known also as divorce after 50) has been found to be even more devastating for both parties than with other age groups. This isn’t only from a financial angle, but an emotional one as well. Research has shown that the older a couple is, the more difficult it can be to bounce back after experiencing a loss like a divorce. 

Marriage can be a roller coaster of good times as well as stressful ones for many couples, even when they are generally happy within their union. When you have a partner that is affected by something like a diagnosed mental illness, the marriage usually takes on an additional layer of stress if the other partner is not equipped to deal with this type of marital discord.