If I ended up adopting I wouldn't have such requirements (infant/cute etc) and I am not in the US. I would be fine with an older kid. I also don't judge people who don't want to adopt for whatever reason. My post wanted to emphasize that people are often very hypocritical because if the goal is to have kids in general, adoption completely covers it. If that's not good enough for them and they want their own mini-me infant version that they carried themselves, then that's their problem and agony and not all of us agonize over that and need to be lectured and reminded that "you are not getting any younger". I have a relative that was adopted in elementary school age and had the most amazing relationship with her parents, so I have witnessed first hand that (although challenging at times) it can work just fine. I don't have the usual biases.