Deciding to take on the role of a foster parent isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. In fact, it takes someone with a huge amount of courage and an even bigger heart to take in children that aren’t your own by nature.
Adopting them takes all that and then some. When most people do decide to adopt, they only want to adopt babies or very young children. That leaves countless teens feeling like they’re the last pick, and it’s not a wonderful feeling to have.
Thankfully, this story is completely different.
In a story that’s gone viral with more than 1.3 million views, a woman had a different opinion. She felt a special calling to help kids in foster care.
What she did went beyond what most people would do.
At the start of this video, you hear a young man by the name of Shantell say that as kids get older in the foster care system, they don’t believe anyone will ever adopt them.
As mentioned, most people gravitate to infants and toddlers. But the fact is that there are more older children who want nothing more than a real family and home.
Then, a second young man named Chris shares how for a long time, he felt super uncomfortable when he’d find himself in a foster home that wasn’t working out.
He would have to be brave enough to tell his social worker that it wasn’t a good fit. For him, that was extremely difficult and sad.
Then a loving woman named Sharon came into their lives.
Sharon was someone drawn to both Shantell and Chris. She had strong empathy and compassion for them, knowing they’d been through a lot.
But instead of becoming yet another foster parent, she adopted them.
She was determined to teach them love and acceptance. As Sharon explained, she wanted to show them what it was like to be in a family, a real family.
She also wanted to show them what it felt like to have someone in their lives who cared for them and would back them up.
She was 100 percent dedicated to changing their lives.
Shantell admits that he gave his adoptive mother a hard time.
When challenges arose, his initial response was to flee. But Sharon would calmly walk him through the problem.
He went on to share that just having someone there who was patient and understanding made all the difference in the world. Because of his past, Shantell was an angry child.
But slowly, he began to realize that his mom truly loved him.
Chris had a difficult time trusting.
But he said that over time, he too began to realize that Sharon’s love was unconditional. Even when things got tough, she was invested in their lives and futures.
The third teen Sharon adopted is named Lex.
He stated that at first, he hated his new mom. But by her attending all of his games and giving him her full support, it wasn’t long before he had a revelation, as well.
Sharon said over the years they faced a lot of challenges.
But with her unwavering support and the boys learning to trust, things began to come together. Today, all three of these guys are doing great and have a productive role in society.
A word of encouragement
Toward the end of the video, Sharon encourages people who want to adopt to not automatically overlook teenagers.
Yes, it’s not always easy. But in the end, it’s incredibly rewarding.
Their story only gets more touching from here.
Learn more about their journey in the heartwarming video below!
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Source: AASK Arizona, Together We Rise
