The boys couldn’t have wished for a lovelier home!
What is it that makes a parent? Having a kid is not only about giving birth and bringing a bundle of joy into the world. It is about guiding that child through life and being there for them when they are at their most vulnerable.
Unfortunately, a significant number of mothers and fathers out there give up on their precious gems for a variety of reasons, which contributes to the large number of children who wind up in the foster care system.
Many children are shuffled from one family to another, never finding a permanent home. When they reach the age of majority, they are left to fend for themselves, with many being driven into homelessness as a result. The unfortunate fact is that most adoptive couples seek newborns when they decide to adopt. Older children are often ignored, never having the opportunity to experience the comfort of a warm home and the love of their parents.
Barry Farmer was primarily raised in the foster care system. Even after being allowed to live with his grandmother, he never forgot what all of his foster families had done for him throughout his foster care experience.
He became a foster parent when he was only 21 years old, and he took in a little kid called Jaxon. Following that, Barry took in two more boys, Xavier and Jeremiah, and eventually adopted all three of them before he became thirty years old.
If you had told me ten years ago that this would happen, I would have laughed in your face,” Barry said. “I stare in the mirror all the time,” Barry said. It had always been a dream of mine to be a parent, but it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
This kind and passionate father shared his thoughts on the whole event and revealed how his journey to parenthood started.
“I’ve been referred to as ‘Dad’ by my oldest from the day I adopted him. Because I was so young at the time, I had no idea how to react to what had happened. And I simply replied, ‘All right, I think we’re going to go ahead and do this.’ ‘I suppose this is the job that I’ll have to take on now.’ Given that the adoption was finalized, it implies that I am now officially his father. He recognized me as his biological father. “Those are the memories that will stay with me forever,” he told CBS 6.
He understands personally how difficult it is to be a part of the system. He urges people to give older children a second shot by adopting them.
As Barry explains, “older children make for the best baby-hunting,” he explains. “There are still many firsts to be had throughout the experience: you can still go on your first bike ride, your first vacation to the beach, your first roller coaster ride, and your first day of school.” Foster care adoptions provide a unique opportunity to see all of this.”
When asked whether anyone has expressed concern about his choice to adopt white children, Barry responds that skin colour is not a distinguishing factor.
“It does not define our family,” says the author. It’s simply a part of who we are as a family. When it comes to stuff like, you know, pushback or stupidity, we’re not really paying attention to them because they don’t know who we are or what we are about.
“Being a father has provided me with a lot of happiness. “I can’t fathom without having my boys by my side,” he continues.
