After Being Returned Twice, Boy’s Foster Family Adopts Him, ‘Love Doesn’t Have A Color’
The power of family is one of the strongest forces we have. The love felt, the commitment to a family name, and the large support network any one member has is amazing to not only witness, but be part of in our own families!
The only thing that can strengthen these feelings are when that family is chosen rather than assigned, found rather than forced, like what one boy got to experience after a childhood spent waiting.
If you're looking for more information on your life and your individual sign, then you'll need your own zodiac reading. We're each on our own unique path and what some struggle with this season, might not be applicable to you too.
Understand your purpose and your potential so that you can take control of your emotions, your life, and your future by clicking HERE.
Friends Forever
The bond that a pair of childhood friends can have is a beautiful, loving force. Children are so uninhibited by worries and doubts that tend to plague us as we get older, and at that age, their friendships are the bigest thing on their minds, so they're able to dedicate all their time and energy towards it.
Sometimes, that connection can help a child out of a really dark place, and can change an entire family around for the better, like what happened with two young boys from Tennessee.
A Cold Start
Back in 2018, Dominique and Kevin Gill took in a 10-year-old foster child named Andrew. Andrew had been in state custody since he was six years old, his parents' custody rights having been terminated.
"Andrew has four siblings and they were all adopted right away," Dominique told TODAY Parents. "During his first week with us, he sat in his room with the door closed and looked at old pictures. He didn't want to talk."
Andrew was not at all interested in connecting with his temporary family.
Lashing Out
Dominique explained that he had a very rough start. She said he would "scream and behave badly" to try and drive them away.
"He'd start shouting, 'Just let me move out!' But I refused to give up on him. I was like, 'We are going to get you together.'"
Their persistence paid off in a big way. With time, his outbursts subsided and he became much better at handling his emotions.
Still, he was rather reserved, but that was also about to change.
Instant Connection
Dominique and Kevin have other children, including a young boy about Andrew's age named Joc. One day, Joc asked Andrew if he wanted to play video games, and to everyone's surprise, Andrew agreed.
Dominique says the two have been "best friends ever since."
When speaking to NBC News, Andrew revealed that he and Joc turned out to have a lot in common, starting with their shared interest in video games. Thanks to that first move from Joc, the two grew very close.
A Big Decision
Andrew would spend the next two years with them, having been adopted out twice, but both adoptions not working out. Watching Andrew grow under their care and become such close friends with their son, Dominique and Kevin decided they wanted to make Andrew's role in their family permanent.
Andrew had been working alongside a youth counselor while staying with the Gills, so one day she showed up and asked Andrew to go on a walk with her. When he returned home, the Gills had set up a party, complete with balloons and Joc wearing a shirt that said, "Will you be my brother?" The family had surprised him with an adoption proposal, one that he accepted with tears in his eyes.
It Was Meant To Be
When the Gills took on fostering, they weren't planning on adopting, instead wanting to help as many children as they could. They wanted to do this because Dominique's parents had done the same when she was a child, so she knew the good they could do.
"Our mindset was we'd help him until he found his forever home. But after [his] second adoption didn't work out, I realized God put Andrew in our lives for a reason," she explained. "God made sure the adoption didn't work out so he could come back to us."
"From the beginning, Andrew has always said, 'Thank you for accepting me,' 'Thank you for not giving up on me.'"
Strength Together
She continued, "People would read his file and get scared away. But I knew he was a good child who had experienced a lot of trauma."
Their faith in him and willingness to work with him only brought them all closer together and gave Andrew a place he can call home forever.
Now, they face a new set of struggles, but together as a family. Dominique explained that they often get strange looks in public because Andrew is the sole white child in a black family.
No Difference
"Because Andrew is white and we're Black, people will stare at us," She said. "They're confused."
Race was never a factor when it came to who Andrew was wanting and willing to stay with, having checked the 'no preference' box under the race category for potential future parents when filling out his initial paperwork.
The Gills feel much the same way. "Love doesn't have a color. [Andrew] is our son, just like Joc is our son. He's a part of us."
A Found Family
The immense love the Gills had for Andrew was life-changing. Having multiple potential families essentially return you because you're too difficult after already facing such trauma as state care at six years old is unbelievably heartbreaking, but thankfully, he always had a home he could return to that loved him like one of their own.
The work they put into helping him, the understanding they approached him with, and the values they taught their children that allowed them to see Andrew as a friend and brother all made for a beautiful story of love and unity.
If you're looking for more information on your life and your individual sign, then you'll need your own zodiac reading. We're each on our own unique path and what some struggle with this season, might not be applicable to you too.
Understand your purpose and your potential so that you can take control of your emotions, your life, and your future by clicking HERE.
Every child is deserving of a family who loves them, and thankfully for Andrew, he was able to find his.
