I am too old to adopt a child, but I wonder if I can adopt a grandchild. Is it possible to adopt a grandchild?

Is there any legal procedures to follow. Can two unrelated people adopt a child?

Distance would be a factor for me. Im not putting a child through long distance parenting

Like so many, it's all I've been doing, for the last 7 years, since we separated. We are far, far better parents apart than we were together.

It seems fine as long as everyone agrees that the child's needs are what matters and not petty jealousies or outdoing the other adult. Like marriage, it depends on the people.

Bizarre?

This post is quite compelling. Thanks. I really don't see a problem with co-parenting. Some families will be better and some worse, just like all other families. I think I would like to be a co-parent but it might have to be like a 60-40 relationship because I am getting too old and my wife has a chronic illness.

Gender does not determine who is or is not a good parent. How many children have been irreparably damaged by parents who remained together because they feared social stigma or feared leaving thing their undeserving spouse. Two men, two women, or a communal situation (as long as it's not a cult and all parties are well known and vetted), can be very good parents. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child.

To my thinking, raising children is the most important, and most consequential, job in the world. What would drive that decision for me would be the quality of relationship I could develop with the other parent (before having the child) whether we lived together or not, because doing a good job (not easy under any circumstances) could turn out to be impossible (not to mention being a living hell for all concerned) if there were unresolvable differences. Seems like coordinating that most important job would be a lot easier if the two parents were living in the same location. And if I was living with someone, and could get along with them, and was raising a child with them... I'd consider myself married.

I've never been married, but judging from observing my divorced friends, it appears to me that once you create offspring together, you are married to that person for the rest of your life anyway, whether you live together or get along or not. I'm no judge of what other people should do but I think one of the main reasons I never married (as much as I wanted to have a family) is because I never developed a relationship to the level of stability I thought would sustain a marriage, and it would totally break my heart to have kids and then lose them.

I know the world changes, and I'm all about progress, but I don't see how this is a good direction. It's one thing to have made your best effort, and then make the best of a bad situation, but to do it deliberately would feel (to me) like boarding a train that was already wrecked. For what?

If the child is not exposed to parents at each others throat, That should be great for a child. This sort of relationship may reduce such hostility and make the child #1.

I kind of agree with Bierbasstard. Co-parenting is great between the two parents/caregivers. But there are a lot of variables and “what-ifs” if one of the two are not biologically or legally committed. However, you could have that same risk with anyone, even the bioparents.

It’s important for a child to have stability, so if they can provide that, it could work. But there is so much risk involved.

The road to hades is paved with good intentions, then shit happens.