DEAR ABBY: I am a 39-year-old female who hasn't been able to conceive. My sister has two children and one on the way. I love being an aunt, but I do want to be a mom myself. I'm recently divorced and have a nice home, a dependable vehicle and a job that I love. The only thing missing in my life is a child.
I have the opportunity to adopt a newborn baby from a family who is unable to care for her. She will be born in the next few months. When I speak to my friends and family about it, even though they would love for me to have a child, they say they don't think this is the right path for me. Although I want a child and always have, I'm now having concerns about it, too. Any advice you could share would be greatly appreciated. -- MOTHERLY INSTINCT IN GEORGIA
DEAR INSTINCT: I wish you had been clearer about why your family doesn't feel that adopting the baby would be the right path for you. However, since you weren't, let me offer this:
Many single parents -- whether single because of divorce, widowhood or by choice -- successfully raise children. At 39, with a home and a good job, you appear to be financially secure enough to provide for a child. Unless you have an emotional problem you didn't mention, or lack the patience to be a good mother, I see no reason why you shouldn't become one. However, because your friends and family have created doubt, discuss this with a counselor to clarify your thinking.
