Joslyn and her husband Jeremey had always imagined a future with adopted children. Growing up, Joslyn had a sister who was adopted, and after her mom told her that older kids often struggled to find a home, she knew that she wanted to provide a home for people just like her mom had done.
In 2013, the couple, who have one biological son, decided that they were ready to adopt.
They welcomed 15-year-old Glen into their home, and the teen stayed until he was 20. When Glen moved out, Joslyn and Jeremy felt his absence and started to think about adopting again.
As if fate was on their side, a call soon came in about some siblings who needed a quick adoption placement. Without having met their new children, the couple had already signed the adoption papers.
On the Friday evening of that week, Nelson, 15, and Lauren, 12, walked into their new home for the first time.
“It was really scary. It was really hard,” said Lauren. “The kids were nervous, but soon, their walls began to come down.”
Lauren and Nelson had had a difficult upbringing, with a dad in prison and a mom who often abused alcohol. In fact, the children’s mom drank so much that she often picked them up from school while intoxicated, and Nelson explained that he ‘missed’ the sober version of her.
Both Lauren and Nelson opened up quickly about their difficult past to their new parents, and it was like the weight was lifting from off their shoulders.
“The first month that they were with us, both of them, especially Lauren, would just talk about everything,” said Joslyn. “You could tell that every time she would tell a story, she would become lighter. You could see her peel away all these layers of like, ‘I need to talk about this. I want to share this with somebody.’ And it was so… it was just awesome seeing both of them turn into themselves over that short period of time.”
Adopting children of any age doesn’t come without its challenges, but Joslyn and Jeremy simply adapted their parenting style to suit their new children.
In the end, simply living life together and respecting each other was enough.
“It’s about love and support,” said Jeremey. “So you’re not gonna like everything your child does. That’s life, whether they’re adopted or biological. But one thing I’ve learned from my children and from my wife is it’s about being loving and just being there for them.”
Since being adopted, Nelson has been attending regular counseling sessions and reflects on the positive impact that his new parents have had in his life.
“I’ve changed a lot,” he said. “I used to be super disrespectful. Super disrespectful. I got in trouble a lot. But it’s like everything makes sense now. I just guess I have don’t have a reason to be angry anymore. I guess I was just sad.”
“But now it’s like… it feels good,” he added with a smile. “I feel like I have somebody, like a family.”
Jeremy and Joslyn might have adopted Nelson and Lauren later in their life, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re family.
“They’re just our children to us,” said Jeremey, “and we just happened to get them later in life.”
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