It's no secret that when most people think of adoption [1], their minds immediately go to babies or young toddlers. But the hard truth is that there are children of all ages in foster care looking for their forever homes, and unfortunately for children over the age of 14, they "have lower adoption rates and often wait twice as long to be adopted as younger children."
"No matter our age, we never outgrow the need for a loving and supportive family."
In an emotional PSA from the Ad Council , based on the story of an actual adoptive family [2], a teenager named Jason is adopted by a couple with two other older kids, and it's clear the impact his new family has on him is profound. In the beginning of the clip, Jason takes notice of a wall of family photos by the front door. As time passes and he begins to make memories with his family, Jason appears to become more and more comfortable with his new home. Then, we see him at the photo wall once more, where he finds that there are several new photos that include him. He leaves the wall to find his mom, and the moment they share is nothing short of beautiful.
"There are over 123,000 children in the U.S. foster care system currently waiting to be adopted," reads the video's caption. "No matter our age, we never outgrow the need for a loving and supportive family. This PSA reminds prospective parents that they will not always be the ones who will be doing the teaching. Adopted teens can help their parents grow in ways they never imagined, giving families a completely new set of moments to look forward to. After all, when it comes to parenthood — you can't imagine the reward."
If you're interested in becoming an adoptive or foster parent to a child or teen, learn more at AdoptUSKids.org [4].