- Wed Mar 10, 2004 11:08 pm
#4312
I think this is a well-intended idea, and I am in NO way trying to slam it, but a few things need to be considered.
Many of the aging who would fall into this category are no longer physically and/or mentally capable enough to raise a child, nor may they have the 18+ years left in their life to commit to such a venture.
Also, many of the orphaned/abandoned children are not what you might call "easy" to raise, as they may have social/developmental challenges which make their care a much more complex issue.
Now, please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "all old people are useless" or "all parentless children are difficult to raise" but am simply expressing some of the factors which already apply to these two demographic groups (take the screening of foster/adoptive parents for instance, this system realizes the additional challenges of raising such children) and which may hinder their pairing as suggested here.
Now, if there are indeed seniors out there who are still in prime physical/mental health who have many years left ahead of them and are both capable and willing to raise a parentless child, then great, but I just don't see it working as flawlessly as you've proposed.
Possibly a good modification of this idea might be to expand on the practises already in place by some long-term care homes for the elderly, such as having orphaned/abandoned children visit senior; to the benefit of both parties.