Blog

Patrick and Megan adopted their children with support from adoption benefits provided by Patrick’s employer, Newly Weds Foods. In this guest blog, Patrick shared his story.

Megan and I had always envisioned adoption as part of our family’s journey. My sister was adopted from China, so adoption had long been a meaningful part of my life and something we naturally considered for our future family. Over time, circumstances led us toward adoption as the path to growing our family.

The adoption process itself was incredibly eye-opening for me, particularly because my prior experiences had primarily been with international adoption. Megan suggested that we attend an informational session to learn more about domestic adoption, which initially gave me pause because there were so many unknowns involved. However, our agency provided exceptional education and guidance throughout the process, ensuring that all prospective adoptive parents completed comprehensive training.

One especially impactful part of the process involved listening to adult adoptees as they shared their experiences. Many spoke candidly about the lifelong questions they carried regarding their birth parents: who they were, where they were and what their lives were like. While every adoption story is unique, these conversations reinforce the importance of maintaining some level of connection or knowledge of a child’s birth family whenever possible, as it can be profoundly beneficial for the adoptee.

When our eldest child Jojo was born, Megan was bedside and had the opportunity to cut the umbilical cord. To this day, we remain in close contact with Jojo’s birth mother. Over time, we also came to know Jojo’s birth father and his family. Jojo now has cousins in Atlanta and New York City on her birth father’s side, and we have even vacationed together as extended family. Jojo is now eight years old and thriving in competitive cheerleading.

About a year after Jojo joined our family, we decided to embark on another adoption journey. At the time, we were told to expect a wait of approximately two to three years, but the process ultimately moved much faster, and we welcomed our second child just six months later. We worked with the same agency that helped connect us with Jojo and were able to be in the room for the birth again this time. Megan was bedside with Cam’s birth mom.

Cam was born in 2020, during what quickly became an extraordinarily challenging and uncertain time for everyone. Cam is now six years old, autistic and nonverbal. He attends school in the mornings and ABA therapy in the afternoons. He is one of the happiest and most energetic children I have ever known. Cam loves being outdoors in any weather and especially enjoys rides in his wagon stroller. 

As with Jojo’s adoption, we have maintained a close relationship with Cam’s birth family. His birth father and his family visit multiple times each year, and we regularly celebrate birthdays and holidays together. Cam’s birth mother also remains an important and consistent presence in his life.

At that point, I believed our family was complete — although perhaps that was more from my perspective than Megan’s. Megan had always wanted to be a foster parent, but I was initially more hesitant about the idea. We agreed to take that journey together, and as we began the process, we agreed to host a nine-month-old infant for what was initially expected to be a 10-day placement while her mother worked through some personal challenges.

Those 10 days turned into four weeks, then two months, and eventually longer-term care arrangements as Megan returned to work, and daycare became part of the routine. Fast forward nine months, and Royal had become a permanent member of our family.

Royal is now two and a half years old and follows in her older sister Jojo’s footsteps with her energy, love of dancing and vibrant personality. As with Jojo and Cam, we felt it was critically important to maintain a healthy relationship with Royal’s birth mother. Megan and Royal had lunch with Royal’s birth mother recently, and they continue to nurture that important relationship.

Looking back, there is truly nothing I would change about our journey. If there is one aspect of the process that stands out most significantly, it is the education we received through our agency. Topics such as hair care, cultural preservation, birth parent relationships and many other important considerations helped prepare us in meaningful ways for parenthood through adoption. These are areas that can easily be overlooked and, at times, may feel intimidating for prospective adoptive parents.

Additionally, some types of adoption can be financially demanding. The support provided by Newly Weds Foods has been an invaluable resource throughout this journey. There can be many stressors with the adoption process, but knowing we would have financial support along the way provided a great sense of reassurance and peace of mind. When a company provides meaningful support for employees building their families through adoption, it speaks volumes about the organization’s culture, values and commitment to supporting families in all forms. 

Thank you, Patrick, for sharing your story with us.

Thank you, Newly Weds Foods, for being an Adoption-Friendly Workplace. And thank you for your generous support of the Foundation’s mission. Your commitment helps make stories like Patrick’s possible.

Does your organization offer adoption and foster care benefits? Download the Foundation’s free Adoption-Friendly Workplace toolkit to get the conversation started. For organizations already offering these benefits, register to participate in our annual survey.