16 Heartwarming Stories About Adoption That Can Make You Ugly Cry

For the many people who cannot have or do not want to have their own biological kids, or even for those who just want to make a difference — adoption, and fostering is the way ahead. Adopting a young child is easier, of course, but some people often take the harder road, and by doing this, set a beautiful example for the rest to follow. Here go some touching stories about people who adopted older children, and turned a tough situation into a success story.

• I was adopted when I was 16 by my high school chemistry teacher and her family. I did have some trauma from the way my bio-parents died. When we were doing visits to see who would be a good fit for me to live with, I remember feeling very at-home in my bonus mom and dad’s house. It took a couple of months before I was fully comfortable calling them mom and dad.
  I grew up on the lower-middle class side and my birth parents provided all they could for me but would limit my number of things I got for myself because we couldn’t afford more. When I went to Target with bonus mom for the first time, I’d point out cute clothes, and she’d say, “Well put it in the basket! We can get it!”
  It was jarring to be able to pick more things than I could’ve gotten before. Also, I got two older sisters out of the deal (bonus parents’ bio-daughters) and today I’m 27 and have twin nieces, a nephew, a BIL and a future BIL and bonus niece! © mac9426 / Reddit
• I have 4 adopted siblings, 3 of which were adopted as teens. The first few days were always rough. My brother got into a fight with my Mom and left. He went to a friend’s, who had also been putting him up for a bit but couldn’t stay longer than a night.
  When he got to school, he broke down in the principal’s office, and they called my mom. She left work, and he apologized for the fight and absolutely begged to still be able to live with us. She told him, “Just cause you screw up one time doesn’t mean we’re going to give up on you.”
  He moved back in and immediately made my brother and I look bad. He was so grateful just to have a place to stay, food every night and to feel loved that any chores etc. were the least he could do. My adoptive sisters were very similar situations.
  As the years have gone by, all of them have grown into pretty well-rounded people. Managed to make something of themselves. They definitely have emotional scars but cope as well as anyone. © xxkoloblicinxx / Reddit

• We adopted our two boys out of foster care when they were 4 and 5. It’s a bit jarring to have no kids one day and the next you have two who are fully dependent on you. It’s obvious, but still nothing you can be prepared for.
  Next, know that if they come from a bad place, they are going to be sure you are bad as well. They will be convinced no matter how nice you are you’ll do something awful as well. They’ll test you. They’ll misbehave to test you. They’ll conspire to test you.
  But persistence will make a difference. You’ll get frustrated, but the rewards of giving these kids a stable, loving home will never ever be replaced. It’s been 10 years since we adopted them and they’re my best friends.
  We’ve seen them through so much and while I certainly haven’t been a perfect parent, I am proud I’ve provided them a path and future they likely would not have had otherwise due to no fault of their own. © pezzino / Reddit
• My kids were removed from their parents’ care and placed with my in-laws as part of a familial care placement at the ages of 7 and 9. My wife and I started caring for them 3 months after that. We were granted legal guardianship about 16 months after the placement. In November of last year, we were finally able to adopt them.
  Coming from someone who never wanted kids, it has honestly been fulfilling to see the HUGE leaps and bounds these two have taken. The youngest, when placed with us at age seven, had never been to school, couldn’t read, didn’t know shapes or colors, and still talked like a toddler. Just a few years down the road, and now she is the top of her class, and we couldn’t be more proud. © Melloman3005 / Reddit

• My wife and I took in a youth kid who had pushed his caretakers to the limit and was going away or to us. He was 15 when we got him. He was two years behind in school because he had been kicked from regular school into an alternative school, then expelled from school altogether from there. He had never driven, had serious anger issues, projected all that he’d been through on other people.
  He’s been with us just about a year now. In that year he’s completed two to two and a half years of school, is looking at graduating early to go into college early, has brought his grades up to C+ averages, got his permit, has gotten a major handle on his outbursts, and is actually beginning to understand what real love is. He has 3 younger siblings here that call him brother, fight over who gets to sit with him, and hang out with him. He and his brother decided to share a room so they could still hang out.
  I’ve yelled, cried, prayed for, prayed with, and done everything I can to get through that hard shell of his. I realized that a lot of it is just being there and not going away or making love a condition. Convincing someone they have potential isn’t easy, but he is totally worth it! © toekneeray13 / Reddit
• My aunt adopted a young boy when he was about 5. His family was full of people who skirted the law. My aunt knew this family and volunteered to look after the kid originally. She couldn’t have her own children — but always wanted to. Eventually, it ended up in a court ruling and an adoption.
  My aunt was a single parent, but she loved and raised that boy as if he were her own. I love my cousin, and he never had any later in life issues, was raised well and grew up to be a stable kid. My aunt passed away when he was 25 or so, but he loved her dearly and even named his first children after her! © Unknown author / Reddit

• We adopted our eldest daughter at 10. We actually adopted her baby half sister first. After the mom met us (since we were doing this via foster care) she asked if we’d adopt her other daughter too. We definitely weren’t planning to adopt an older child, we already had a 6-year-old biological child, but after meeting the 10-year-old, we knew we’d want her to be a part of our family.
  It’s been 16 years, and it hasn’t always been easy, but we have no regrets. We love our daughter like our “own”. She was challenging to raise the first few years, had some trust issues with us and some deep-seated abandonment issues. Therapy has helped.
  She’s always been incredibly smart and talented. We call her (half jokingly) “our achiever”. Some of her success was due to our parenting I’m sure, but most of it is just her and how she’s wired. I’m proud to be her mom. © jbarinsd / Reddit
• I took guardianship of my son’s half sister when she was 14. A bad family situation made her act out. Her mother was a pushover who didn’t know how to handle her, so she was put into the system. I knew she wasn’t a bad kid, so I stepped in and said I’d take her.
  It was rough that first year. She tested the boundaries a lot until she realized that I wasn’t going to give up on her. I think it also helped that her baby brother adored her and my parents welcomed her with open arms.
  We found her a good therapist that she clicked with and that really helped her work through her issues. She finished school with good grades, met her boyfriend, who is wonderful with her. She has kids of her own now and is a fantastic mother. The best decision I ever made was taking her in. © RokketQueen1006 / Reddit

• I adopted a 15-year-old, he was a terror, and made a lot of really poor choices. He’s now 20, and I am so proud of the man he became. It was a horrible time trying to get him to understand what love is and that we wanted the best for him, but he’s doing great now and is working really hard to create a loving family of his own.
  Do I suggest adopting older kids? YES! The biggest reason is because I grew up in foster care, all I wanted was my own family. It’s hard, it’s taxing, and you have a lot of rewiring to treat their hurts and make them better, but every minute is worth it! © TYR***god / Reddit
• She (Asian) became my daughter when she was 6. About the same age as my biological (European) daughter. She has been diligent all her life, it was often difficult to get her to show emotions. But she just kept going, worked hard at school, just by sheer persistence, she got a very good university degree and married a great guy.
  She insisted on keeping her maiden (my) name because “it was so difficult to get that name.” Still not showing many emotions, just getting ahead. She is my daughter, exactly like my biological kids. I love her to bits, I am so proud of her. Just praying that life will not throw her a curveball, but I suppose every parent does that. © Pablo-on-35-meter / Reddit

• We adopted our Thai son at age 3, he is 10 now. (White family, also, son was born in U.S.) First few days were adjusting, first few weeks we were tip-toeing, and first few years wanted to bash my head against the wall. Now, he is an AMAZING, well-mannered young man whose life is completely different from what his first 3 years were like.
  Took catch-up time, but years of dedication, patience and sincerity paid off. We have other children as well, and he is THE MOST like me than even my biological children. Now I literally do not have a CLUE how I would live without him, he is freaking amazing, and we were made for each other! © brookebuilder / Reddit
• I’m adopted, and I’ll tell you a story. I was around 3 1/2 when I got adopted, but I remember chunks of it. I remember hopping from house to house because I was in foster care. All I wanted was a good home.
  I had a little sadness for my old parents because one time when my now father and I had to go to court for a reason about the family or whatever, and I faked being sick. I didn’t want to see my biological father.
  Eventually I started to stay with my now family for a while and one day the social services worker came, and I hid up in my room because I didn’t want to get taken away. She asked if I wanted to stay here. I said, “I want to stay with my family”. A few months went by and I got adopted.
  I love my parents for doing it, and I am 15 now. So yes, there were highs and lows, and sometimes very lows, but they are the best thing that has ever happened to me. © El_Nato / Reddit

• My parents never adopted him, but when I was 14, we had a 15-year-old boy move in with us who stayed until he was 21. It was very strange for me as a teenage girl to have an older boy, who I’d never met, move into my house, and to see my parents take him in as one of their own.
  There were suddenly all these rules for me, like I wasn’t allowed to wear pajamas around the house, or be home alone with him for the first year or so. However, he turned out to be the loveliest kid. While we never really got over the awkwardness and never really bonded, the whole experience was overwhelmingly positive.
  In particular, my mum became much happier with the fulfillment that she got from the experience, as she’d been struggling to find purpose in her life. He’ll never know how much our family improved from having him, and I hope one day I’ll have the chance to tell him. © zero_one_zero_one / Reddit
• My husband and I unexpectedly adopted a 17-year-old. She was on a downhill spiral. So we gave her a place full of love, therapy, and help. She healed and became a part of our family. It is odd being only nine and ten years older than your kid, but she is still our kid. © SurpriseThere1 / Reddit

• We took in a teenager after we got married, teaching her everything parents should. Like driving a car, helping her get into college, and doing her taxes. She’s a wonderful young woman, and we couldn’t be prouder. The best part is the looks we get, when she calls us Mom and Dad in public.
  She’s 30, and we are 37 and 40, respectively. We took her in when she was 17. I was 25 and my husband was 27. It has been the most fulfilling thing we have ever done in our lives, and I don’t regret a single instance, especially now that we will soon be grandparents!
• My best friend’s family adopted a kid our age when we were in high school. I think he moved in with them around 14–15 years of age. He remained in contact with his biological family, but calls my friend his sister. He doesn’t usually refer to his adopted parents as mom and dad (he’ll say 2nd mom and 2nd dad or just use names).
  We’re all mid to late 20s now and according to her, it’s been really great. She and her family are small and White, and he is big, of African descent. When he shows family pictures to people, they comment about his adoption. His reply always causes hilarity. He pretends he had no idea he was adopted.
  All in all, it was a great move. He was able to attend the college of his choice and go into a field of study he wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. © laura_lee_meh / Reddit

Families are beautifully complicated, but so worth it. Meanwhile, here go some children who seem to be the perfect comedians, without even trying!