This is a story nearby feeling, confidence, and how belongings occasionally fall into place in ways we never imagine. Looking spinal, I truly trust meeting David wasn’t a coincidence. As he when told me, “We were destined to be composed.
I met David when he was 13. He was in a self-contained class at the school where I worked. I was a paraprofessional, and while I didn’t work directly with his class, I spent part of my break outside during recess with his group.
One Friday, a coach quietly told me that David was about to be listed for adoption. Without even thinking, I said, “We’ll adopt him.” The words just came out, but deep down I knew I meant it. I couldn’t let him end up with just anyone. Why not us?
On my drive home that day, I called the state office to ask how to begin. I didn’t know any answers to their questions, but they emailed me the paperwork and connected me with his social worker. After I got back, I knew it was time to talk to my husband.
I said, “There’s some paperwork in the printer. I looked at him and said, “There’s a little boy at school I’d like to adopt. He looked at me and said, “Do you really mean it?” I said, “Yes.” He simply replied, “Then what do I need to do to get the house ready?”
We told our three kids that weekend. Our daughter was in college, our oldest son was a senior, and our youngest was in seventh grade and the only one who actually knew David. All of them said yes without hesitation.
The adoption process wasn’t easy. There was a lot of paperwork, classes, and doctor visits, fingerprinting, and waiting. Some weeks we didn’t hear anything. It was stressful and slow. I reserved recapping myself to do one entity at a time.
Eventually, we were told David could start visiting us. He came home with me after school on Fridays, then we returned him to his foster family later that night. Soon he started spending weekends, and then, during spring break, he moved in for good.
I was nervous. Would he sleep okay? Would he feel safe? But from day one, he acted like he had always lived with us. That first morning, I found him sitting cross-legged on the couch at 4 a.m., eating cold mashed potatoes from the fridge. I asked if he required them take to up. He said, “Yes, please.” We sat together watching cartoons, and I knew it would be okay.
David didn’t know how to do many basic things at first. We taught him how to take care of himself brushing teeth, showering, combing his hair. He learned quickly. He liked routine and wanted to do well. Later, we found out he has a rare chromosome disorder called 16p11.2 deletion syndrome. It gave us a name for what he faces, but it didn’t change how we felt.
Now, David has grown so much. He plays sports, spends time with friends, and even goes on trips. He talks all the time now and has a great sense of humor. He’s a light in our lives. We can’t imagine our family without him.
If you’re thinking about adopting, I hope you take that step. Kids like David are waiting for someone to say yes. You may think you’re helping them but they might just change your life.
