Am I too young to adopt teenagers?

No, you're not too young to adopt teens. They generally want to see an age difference of 10 years, so a teen would be fine for you.

You should look for a support group for foster and adoptive parents. Talk to a lot of people about it.

And be prepared that you won't get respect from a teen. It has nothing to do with age... teens generally don't respect people. They're working out boundaries and feelings and hormones, it doesn't have much to do with you.

I grew up in foster care since the age of 10.

I moved into a new home when I was 13 years old, staying there until I reached 17. and a family that was once complete strangers to me, transformed me and had a positive impact in every way imaginable. Before going there, I was a "bad" kid, with no sense of respect, doing terrible in school, buried in self-pity, no desire to improve and no plans to succeed. You can usually make a difference in any child if you want to, but keep in mind, they need to be open to it just as much as you are.

It takes patience, and adapting yourself to really find what makes them tick, to truly reach a teen at this age. Are you too young? Not at all. There wouldn't be a higher lack of respect, although be prepared for a lack of respect nonetheless at moments. The foster system is extremely emotionally traumatizing. Not because of the actual ways of the foster care, just growing up without your family, the feeling of being unwanted, you can't truly understand without going through it. I know many kids who I was put in programs with as a teen, who didn't have the type of foster parents I had, or weren't open to change, and are still struggling to find a way today. I'm happy to say I am 20 years old, I've had my own apartment since I was 18, I have a steady job and I'll be heading to college next year and I have great aspirations in life.

If you truly believe you can make a difference, and from the tone of your question I believe you will, then I would definitely go for it. Your current age is not an issue at all. All the best!

I know someone who adopted a girl who was 13 years younger than her. There were a lot of issues at first. If I remember the story correctly, her husband wound up with some sort of criminal charges due to the adopted child's lies. But every situation is different,

Adopting a 13 or 14 year old would be fine. If you want to adopt a older teenager you shoul maybe wait until you're 38 or40. But adopting a teenager is your choice so it's up to you.