Adoption stories

Stories from real families

Every family has a story. Some begin with quiet hope. Others, with unexpected turns. But all of them are built on love, resilience, and the courage to say “yes,” even when the journey isn’t easy.

This page is a collection of real voices and real experiences from families who have opened their hearts and homes through adoption from foster care. Their stories are honest, sometimes messy, often beautiful—and always powerful.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore the idea of adoption, deep in the process, or simply here to learn, we invite you to read on.

Hope after disruption: How one family keeps “bravely trying”

June 10, 2025

Not all success stories end with a tidy happily-ever-after. Sometimes, the journey is its own triumph.

Like many prospective parents, Morgan envisioned a storybook outcome as she and her partner, Michelle, planned to adopt. When the Vancouver, Washington residents welcomed an 18-year-old from foster care into their home, they anticipated being a family forever.

Instead, the couple encountered an unexpected situation, known in the child welfare world as a disrupted adoption.

“I’d never heard of it,” Morgan said. “It hadn’t occurred to me that a placement could fail. I thought, ‘Well, they want a family, and we’re a good family, who is going to be loving and generous, so of course it’s all going to work out.’ It wasn’t on my radar at all that this could happen.”

While the majority of adoptions from foster care are finalized, an estimated 25 percent end in disruption. This means that after a youth has moved in with a family to officially pursue adoption, either the youth or parents halt the legal process. Some youth and families remain connected to varying degrees, while others opt against future contact.

As with any relationship, sometimes people aren’t a good fit for reasons outside of their control. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway podcast, “There will be some circumstances where a disruption must occur, no matter how well-prepared, educated, or supported the families involved.”

Redefining success

Morgan and Michelle felt ready. They’d long discussed adopting before having the realization: “We don’t want to do this someday. We want to do this now.”

“And I wanted to do it right,” Morgan said. In addition to the tasks required for licensure, Morgan prepared as much as she could. “If there was a book, I read it. If there was a training, I took it. If there was a resource, I was seeking it out.”

One such support was the Northwest Adoption Exchange website, where the couple first saw the In-Depth Profile® of the teenager they attempted to adopt.

“Her singing drew me to her,” Morgan said. “She sang in her video, with this beautiful voice that was so vulnerable and sweet. And she had on a Nirvana shirt, and we love ‘90s grunge. She just looked fun.”

The videos and stories in the teen’s NWAE profile allowed the couple to imagine their future together as a family.

“It’s amazing how attached you can get just from a profile,” Morgan said.

The three met, and shortly after, the teen moved in with the couple and their pets. The first few weeks went well. However, after two months, the teen ultimately decided to become independent and leave the foster system entirely.

“I had maybe 24 hours of feeling like we were failures as parents,” Morgan said. “And then, I was like, you know what? I don’t think we were. With our whole hearts, we opened our home and were prepared to make her a permanent member of our family.”

Research shows that older youth who have experienced trauma longer than their younger counterparts encounter disruption at higher rates. Morgan recognizes that the behaviors and choices of their youth say more about trauma’s impact on the capacity to accept love than it does anything about the couple’s abilities or efforts.

“It’s easy to look back and say, ‘Oh, if I had done this or that differently…,’’ she said. “But that’s naïve. We went in with love and good intentions and made the best decisions we could with the information we had, and that’s all anyone can do. I don’t regret trying.”

Rather, they’re ready to try again.

After the couple took some time to process their first placement, they reached out to NWAE about facilitating another, and they recently welcomed a 15-year-old seeking permanency into their home.

“I want people to remember that trying is brave. Even if things don’t go as planned, that effort still counts,” Morgan said. “And that’s life, right? Things don’t always go perfectly right away. You try to do things that matter, and you learn while you’re trying, and then you try again, applying what you’ve learned.”

Showing up matters

One lesson the couple absorbed was to approach possible placements with more fluid expectations.

“For example, you might have really attached to something in their profile, and they’ve changed their mind or moved on from that thing,” she said. “You can be disappointed. And then you can say, ‘Okay, those are a snapshot capturing who they thought they wanted to be at that moment, and of course they want to present the most positive version of themselves just like anyone would.’”

She plans to approach future relationships with curiosity rather than assumptions and to view potential matches as an opportunity rather than a foregone conclusion.

“We really do have hopes there’s a kid out there who wants what we’re offering, who wants to be part of our home and family,” Morgan said. “We’re excited to get to know them and for them to get to know us. Then, with a lot of patience and love and effort on both sides, hopefully that evolves into an adoption.”

While the couple still want this outcome, they don’t view it as necessary to consider their adoption story worthwhile.

“We saw a need, and we showed up with everything we had in us,” Morgan said. “In the grand scheme of it all, trying is what counts, right? That’s the heart of it all. These kids don’t need perfect parents. What they need is people in their lives who try. And we tried. We bravely tried. And we’re going to keep bravely trying.”

Built on love: How one father and son changed each other’s lives

May 9, 2025

It happened at 2 a.m.

Milton Carter had spent two years trying to build his family by adopting a youth in foster care. Lying awake one night, he felt discouraged that his dream of becoming a father still hadn’t come true.

“I was ready to give up,” Milton said. “I even told my caseworker I was done, but she convinced me to take two weeks off from searching, and it was at the end of (that break) that everything changed.”

As he tossed and turned, he felt a nudge.

“It was God, saying, ‘Get up,’” Milton said. “I could feel Him talking to me, telling me to go take a look.”

He followed that impulse, left his bed, logged onto AdoptUSKids’ national photolisting, and spotted a Northwest Adoption Exchange (NWAE) In-Depth Profile video of 13-year-old Landon.

“And I just knew. I felt it in my spirit. I felt it in my soul,” he said. “I knew he was my child.”

NWAE connected the future father-son duo, and after weeks of phone and video calls, Landon flew from Washington to Texas so the two could properly meet and so Landon could tour his potential future home and community.

“The door opened, and in walks this kid, this big kid, this kid who wrestles and plays football. But he also is just a baby, you know? And he just came right up to me and gave me the biggest hug,” Milton said. “It’s hard to explain, but I knew I was hugging my son. I know I adopted him when he was 13, but it felt like I’d loved him from his first day on this Earth.”

Four years later, Landon remembers that moment as fondly as his father does.

“It felt like a dream, you know? Kind of fluffy, nice,” he said. The now 17-year-old said that moment altered his life’s trajectory. “I found a parent, a stable home, and someone to love me all at once.”

Family is worthwhile work

Like any family, the father and son have experienced rough patches. While they formed an instant bond, Landon struggled to grasp that he was truly home.

“My first year here, and probably even longer, I felt like I was going to get kicked out or something,” Landon said. “It takes time to feel like you actually have a home when you’re so used to not having one. And, just like this was new for my dad, it was new for me.”

Milton and Landon both say transitions into new environments and family roles require effort. They also agree the work is worthwhile.

“It takes time for everyone to adjust, even when everything is great,” Milton said.

He recalls how at first Landon kept everything tidy. “His room was always clean, and he never left his shoes on the floor. It takes a while for these kids to realize they’re home, because they’ve been moved so many times. You have to be patient as they work through it. Now, he has his stuff strewn all about the house, and I’m like, ‘Landon, I’m going to trip and break my neck,’ but I love it, because it means he’s comfortable. It’s his home, and he gets to be himself in his home.”

That road home stretched long for both. Just as Milton had experienced many failed attempts at finding family, so had Landon.

Three times, he pursued permanency with a family, but each time, the father developed severe health problems that derailed adoption plans. So, when Milton collapsed due to an undiagnosed condition, Landon feared his past disappointments had returned to inflict fresh pain. While Milton’s illness is now well-maintained, he remembers the moment as an opportunity to demonstrate his commitment.

“I can’t erase any bad memories he has, but I can let him know I love him and that together we can build a strong foundation,” Milton said. “I can let him know I’ll never give up on him and that he is safe with me. And then, when he started feeling secure, he could start exploring what he wants to build on that foundation. And boy, Landon is building.”

It's never too late

When he first moved to Texas, Landon’s grade point average sat at 0.95. Educators recommended special education and cautioned that Landon might not graduate high school. Now, he has a 3.9 GPA for his advanced placement coursework and was accepted into 15 universities. He plans to eventually seek a master’s degree in criminology and sociology and pursue a career helping others.

Landon sees his growth as proof that older youth can thrive in adoptive homes.

“Honestly, I changed a lot,” he said. “Like, I did a full 360. Some people might think that’s not possible for kids like me, because it’s too late or they’re too old or whatever, but it’s never too late. The older kids in foster care need their shot.”

Milton cries when reflecting on his son’s progress. And while his pride for Landon oozes from every word he speaks, he takes no credit for his success.

“You’re not there to fix your kid,” he said. “You’re there to love them, support them, nurture them, and water them so they can grow. We parents need to realize—this isn’t about us. It’s about them. People like to say, ‘You saved that child,’ and that’s not true. I didn’t even know I had this much love to give. So, no, I did not save my child, and I did not fix my child. My child fixed me. My child saved me. That’s the story.”