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6 Important Adoptees in American History

Indikon Media — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 13:33:57 +0000

It’s that time of year — families across the country are gearing up to celebrate the Fourth of July with pool parties, barbecues, parades, carnivals and, of course, fireworks. This holiday is a chance for all of us to celebrate the culture and freedoms that exist in the United States today, as well as an opportunity to look back at the history and people who got us here.
But did you know that some of those people were actually touched by adoption?
It’s true. As we approach Independence Day, take time to learn about some of the famous figures in American history whose lives were shaped by their adoption stories.
As you’re reading, though, it’s important to keep in mind that adoption has not always been what it is today (in fact, it has changed dramatically through the course of history). Many of these historical and political figures weren’t officially “adopted” in the sense that we now understand adoption. Still, it’s hard to argue that these individuals did not have an impact on U.S. history — and their upbringings with adoptive parents likely had an impact on who they were and the things they went on to accomplish.

1. John Hancock

July 4 is celebrated each year in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence — and John Hancock is widely credited as being the first to sign the famous document. What many people don’t know, however, is that the founding father was actually raised in an adoptive household.
Born in colonial Massachusetts in 1737, Hancock was adopted and raised by his childless aunt and uncle after his father died and his mother was no longer able to care for him. He later inherited his uncle’s business and went on to become one of the most prominent political figures in the American Revolution.

2. Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln had an incredibly close bond with his mother. In fact, he told one relative that she “had been his best friend in this world” and that “no son could love a mother more than he loved her.”
But the 16^th president wasn’t talking about the woman who gave birth to him. He was talking about Sarah Bush Johnston, the stepmother who raised him after his “angel mother,” Nancy Lincoln, passed away when he was 9 years old. While Johnston may not have formally adopted Lincoln, she did encourage his intellectual development, providing him with books to read and encouraging him to practice writing and public speaking. Lincoln’s (adoptive) mother’s influence arguably shaped who he became — and, in turn, potentially helped to shape the history of our country.

3. Eleanor Roosevelt

With deep involvement in a variety of human rights and social justice movements, Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most powerful women of her time. Serving as the First Lady of the United States during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency (1933–1945), she revolutionized the role, using it as a platform to become an active political force.
But before Roosevelt grew up to become a political powerhouse, she suffered unthinkable loss in her childhood; her mother died when she was 8, and her father died just two years later. She and her brother were adopted and raised by their grandmother.

4. Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford, 38^th president of the United States, would not have been Gerald Ford without adoption. Born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. in 1913, Ford’s parents separated when he was a baby. His mother remarried when he was 2 years old, and he was adopted by and renamed for his stepfather, Gerald R. Ford, Sr.
Ford didn’t learn of his adoption until he was older, but he said the revelation “didn’t make a big impression” on him. “I didn’t understand exactly what a stepfather was,” he said. “Dad and I had the closest, most intimate relationship. We acted alike. We had the same interests. I thought we looked alike.”
Ford called his adoptive father a “magnificent person.”
“I couldn’t have written a better prescription for a superb family upbringing,” he said of his childhood.

5. Nancy Reagan

Nancy Reagan was another influential First Lady, best known for her “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign. As a small child, Reagan’s parents divorced, and she lived with an aunt and uncle for a time before her mother remarried and she was adopted by her new stepfather at the age of 6.
Fun fact: Nancy’s husband, President Ronald Reagan, was also an adoptive father, having adopted his son Michael with his first wife long before his presidency. In fact, the president was so passionate about adoption, he declared the first National Adoption Awareness Week in 1984.

6. Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton, the 42^nd president of the United States, was actually born William Jefferson Blythe III. His father was killed in a car accident just months before he was born and, unable to financially provide for him, his mother moved to Louisiana to attend nursing school. During that time, she left her son in the care of his grandparents but returned for him four years later. She married Roger Clinton, Sr. in 1950, and Bill officially adopted his stepfather’s surname as a teen.
Clinton was a known advocate for adoption during his time in office, expanding National Adoption Awareness Week to the entire month of November. In one famous quote, the former president said, “We must work tirelessly to make sure that every boy and girl in America who is up for adoption has a family waiting to reach him or her. This is a season of miracles, and perhaps there is no greater miracle than finding a loving home for a child who needs one.”
These are just a few of the many influential people who have been touched by adoption. In addition to these founding fathers, first ladies and U.S. presidents, there are many other senators, representatives, judges, celebrities and everyday people who have made their mark on our country’s history and culture as adoptees, birth parents or adoptive parents. This Fourth of July, join us in celebrating the small — but not insignificant — role adoption has played in American history!

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7 of the Most Heartwarming Adoption Moments of 2018

Indikon Media — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 13:18:28 +0000

As the year comes to a close, let’s look back at some of the most remembered and touching adoption moments of 2018 to remind us of that joyfulness and hope.

The post 7 of the Most Heartwarming Adoption Moments of 2018 first appeared on Considering Adoption.

10 Influential People Who Were Placed for Adoption

Indikon Media — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 13:39:34 +0000

One of our favorite subjects is always influential people who were placed for adoption at birth, because it shows that adoptees truly can do anything they put their minds to. Check out these adopted celebrities and how they’ve impacted our entire world!

The post 10 Influential People Who Were Placed for Adoption first appeared on Considering Adoption.

7 Famous Birth Parents Who Chose Adoption

Indikon Media — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 15:50:38 +0000

There are a lot of posts out there about famous people who have adopted or famous people who are adoptees. What’s less known, however, is the number of famous people who have actually placed a child for adoption.
Understandably, there’s a reason for this. The decision to place a child for adoption is a deeply personal one that some people may choose to keep to themselves — and that’s entirely their right. However, many in the adoption community wish to celebrate birth parents and their brave choice and, therefore, celebrate those birth parents that have used their platform to share their story and highlight the beauty of adoption.
But, who are some famous birth parents? While there are likely more celebrities than we know who are birth parents, here are some of the people who have actually shared their adoption stories with the public:

Joni Mitchell

Before the folk singer became famous, she was a 21 year-old poverty-stricken artist living in a Toronto rooming house. She found herself pregnant and, knowing that she couldn’t properly care for a baby, decided to place her child “born with the moon in Cancer” for adoption in 1965.
Mitchell would go on to write a song about her baby girl, “Little Green.” While there was heartache on both sides of the adoption triad, Mitchell eventually was reunited with her daughter in 1988.

Kate Mulgrew

The “Orange is the New Black” actress placed her child for adoption in 1977 when she was starring on “Ryan’s Hope.” After her producers wrote her pregnancy into the show, Mulgrew kept acting while pregnant and worked with Catholic Charities to complete her adoption. While she didn’t receive any information about her daughter for 20 years, she did reconnect with her daughter in 1998.
Mulgrew wrote about her experience for AARP, saying, “My daughter’s capacity for forgiveness is something I have never seen before in my life. That sense of abandonment was excruciating in her life. There is not enough time to make up for it, only enough time to love. We cried a lot. All we can do is move forward. So we do.”

Roseanne Barr

The actress placed a child for adoption in 1971 when she was 18 years old, leaving her daughter information to find her when she turned 21 herself. However, a tabloid magazine unearthed her adoption documents, throwing her adoption reunion into chaos.
Eventually, Barr reunited with her daughter:
“We looked at each other, Brandi jumped out of her seat, and we started running toward each other. We embraced and wouldn’t let go of each other, hugging and crying,” Barr told People magazine. “I saw a lot of me in her. She’s intuitive, trusts her perceptions and feelings and listens to what’s not spoken. That’s how I’ve lived my life.”

David Crosby

After finding out in the early 1960s that his girlfriend at the time was pregnant, musician Crosby and the birth mother decided to place their son for adoption. It wasn’t until 30 years later that Crosby was reunited with his son, who also turned out to be a musician.
Today, Crosby plays in the same band as his son, James Raymond, who described their relationship to Goldmine Magazine in 2014:
“He likes to look out for me,” he said. “There’s certain facets of our relationship where he does get to be like a father figure. And then there’s times when it switches, and I’m kinda like the father. But it’s more like brothers in arms. We’re very close collaborators and really good friends. That’s more the dynamic.”

Andy Kaufman

The comedian and “Taxi” actor and girlfriend placed their daughter for adoption in 1969 when he was a college student in Boston and his girlfriend was a high school student. While he died before his daughter could be reunited with him, she became very close with her birth grandfather and birth aunt and uncle.

Rod Stewart

Stewart placed his first child for adoption in 1963 and recently opened up about their reunion and relationship in the last decade. He expressed guilt about his choice for his daughter but also said their relationship has begun to improve the last decade, especially after her adoptive parents died.
His daughter described their relationship to the Daily Mail:
“At the moment it’s all baby steps, but whatever issues were there have all been forgotten, for both of us… It’s all water under the bridge now. It’s nerve-racking, too, but just as much so for him as it is for me.”
Stewart would go on to write a song for his daughter’s birth mother: “Brighton Beach.”

Mercedes Ruehl

Actress Ruehl placed a child for adoption as a young woman in 1975, knowing she didn’t have the capability to care for a child in her position. However, in 1996, they ended up reuniting. Her son is even the godfather of her younger adopted son.
Ruehl described their first meeting to The New York Times, saying, “We just looked at each other and we laughed and we hugged each other. I thought I was going to cry. We just felt so shy, we just giggled.”
For a full list of famous adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees, check out American Adoptions’ list here.

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Adopted Olympian Profile – Figure Skater Aaron Parchem

Indikon Media — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 12:46:53 +0000

Every year in the United States, thousands of children are adopted domestically.
While these children vary in age, race and background, they all share one very important characteristic: By being adopted, they are provided with opportunities and experiences to which they otherwise may have never been introduced.
One of these children possessed an inherent talent that was awakened by his adoptive parents, taking him all the way to the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy.

Achieving the American Dream

In August 1977, a couple from a Chicago suburb, Al and Georga Parchem, always wanted to start a family but were having difficulties with infertility. Their journey to parenthood led them to adopting a baby boy, whom they named Aaron.
His adoption was never kept secret from him nor his adopted sister. After all, they were biracial, and their parents were white.
“It was never something that was hidden from me,” Aaron said. “I was an adopted kid. Even at 6 or 7 years old, it didn’t make a difference. What was always important to me was the love and attention I received from my parents.”
Georga was integral in introducing her son to various activities, ranging from flag football, to gymnastics and even to tap dancing. Aaron’s interest in these activities usually only lasted for one or two seasons, but there was one that stuck with him – figure skating.
“I would’ve never been in skating if it wasn’t for my mom, especially,” Aaron said. “She was so open to putting me in so many different things, allowing me to have all of these diverse experiences. I was hooked once I did my first ice show.”
Skating was a big part of Aaron’s life throughout his teenage years, and he relied heavily on his parents to help him continue his young skating career. Before he could drive, it was his parents who had to wake up early in the morning to take him to the skating rink before school, wait for him to finish practice, drive him to school, and then repeat the same routine in the afternoon.
The long hours of practicing kept Aaron and his parents busy; however, he never made it to national competition as a singles skater. Figure skating remained a hobby rather than a blossoming career.
Aaron graduated high school and then traveled south on I-65 to attend Butler University in Indianapolis.
“I spent two years at Butler with the intention of phasing out ice-skating and slowly getting into the real world. However, during my time there, there was a coach who got me interested in skating pairs. I caught the bug again and decided I wanted to really try to be my best at this so I made a major move to come to Detroit.”

A New Commitment to Excellence

The Detroit Skating Club is renowned for the number of figure skaters it has produced. Aaron Parchem would be its latest.
Aaron first paired up with Stephanie Kalesavich, and they qualified for Junior Nationals within their first eight months of skating together. By the next year, they won the event.
“It was great, but it also freaked me out because I never imagined things would happen so quickly,” Aaron said.
Things didn’t slow down after that, as he teamed up with new partner, Marcy Hinzmann in 2004. Aaron and Marcy received third place in the 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which would have qualified them as alternates for the Olympics in an Olympic year. Indeed, it was an achievement, but Aaron and Marcy wanted a guaranteed spot in Torino. With another year of experience and training together, they hoped it would be enough to reach their ultimate goal.
However, the unexpected happened during the 2005 season Marcy tore her ACL in her non-landing knee.
After having surgery on her knee, Marcy had a four-month recovery time before she could put skates on again, and six months before she and Aaron could get back to training together.
“We had five months to try our best to get ready to make one big push to get to the Olympics,” Aaron said. “Those were some of the best experiences and worst experiences in my life. Being so disappointed I couldn’t sleep and being so elated from a standing ovation two weeks later that to this day was the best moment in my skating career. We learned a lot in that six-month snippet of time, but ultimately it got us to be in a position to qualify for the Olympics.”
The 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held in St. Louis. After Aaron and Marcy’s first program, they sat in second place with one more performance to go. They would end up beating the third-place team by less than half of a point, promising them a spot on the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team.

Fulfilling the Olympic Dream

During the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Aaron proudly walked through the coliseum with Marcy and the rest of the U.S. Olympians. Amongst all the cheers, a familiar voice stood out from all the rest – his mom’s. Among the thousands and thousands of spectators, Georga and Al had made it all the way down to the front rows to see their son in one of his proudest moments. Aaron was even able to snap a picture of his parents.
By just being there in that moment, Aaron felt that he had already won.
“Coming into the Olympics, we knew we didn’t have a shot at a medal,” Aaron said. “The achievement for us was qualifying for the Olympics. The whole Olympic experience to Marcy, myself and our families was to just enjoy the celebration and to be part of something that was vastly bigger than ourselves.”
Aaron and Marcy ended up placing 13th. They had two good skates, which Aaron said he and Marcy will be proud of for the rest of their lives.
This was would be the unofficial end to his competitive skating career.
“Skating into your 20s and 30s is a difficult proposition. There is opportunity cost there, but to us it was worth it because we got to achieve and experience things that we would otherwise never have been able to do. I’ve been across the world in different countries and able to soak in different cultures. I’ve been able to compete against different people who I never would have otherwise met. To me the experience that we gained was worth the cost of sticking around and letting the rest of life slip by to a certain extent.”

The Best is Yet to Come

Figure skating provided Aaron with some amazing experiences, but undoubtedly the best thing it led to was meeting his wife Zuzanna, a former Olympian herself from Poland.
Zuzanna served as Aaron and Marcy’s choreographer and continues to coach at the Detroit Skating Club, where she and Aaron first met. They have a 2-year-old daughter together, Sofie, who has some big shoes, or skates, to fill.
“Being a father is the best thing that’s happened to me in my life. I think back to my experiences growing up and I’m glad that I can pass the love that has been given to me.
“We have hopes that our daughter excels in something, and whether that’s sports or school, I’ll be happy just to experience something new. If my baby girl wants to be a skater, we will wish her luck, but she will also have to understand that she has two very demanding parents,” Aaron jokes.
Aaron often thinks back to those long hours at the ice rink where his mom or dad would be waiting for him to take him to school, the moment when he told them he had qualified for the Olympics, and at the opening ceremonies where he could hear their cheers among the thousands of others.
“The support I received from my folks – emotionally, logistically, financially – none of this would have been possible, none of it, if it wasn’t for the support I got from them.”
So, the question remains: Would Aaron Parchem have been an Olympic figure skater if he wasn’t adopted? No one will ever know. But he knows one thing:
“Adoption changed my life. I don’t know if it was for the better or not, and that’s simply because this is the only life that I know. But what I can tell you, and what I truly believe, is that I’m lucky to be adopted. The opportunities that have been afforded to me, the love that has been given to me and the family I now have all stem from a decision that I couldn’t make – a decision I’m sure weighed heavily on my birth parents’ hearts. However, for my story, there was a happy ending.”
This article originally appeared on AmericanAdoptions.com’s Blog and is reposted on ConsideringAdoption.com with their approval.

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Jep Robertson Expands the Duck Dynasty Through Adoption

Indikon Media — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:06:26 +0000

Jep and Jessica Robertson, stars of the show Duck Dynasty, bring adoption to the spotlight in their spinoff show Jep and Jessica: Growing the Dynasty. The show revolves around the couple and the latest addition to the Robertson family: the baby boy they adopted.

Thanks for the love! This has been a crazy, awesome ride but so worth it! Me and Gus signing out! #JepAndJessica pic.twitter.com/ps0MMcLdGJ

— Jep Robertson (@JepDuckman) January 21, 2016

Jep and Jessica named their baby boy Jules Agustus, calling him “Gus” for short. The new TV series has been created to follow the couple as they raise their new baby, along with their four biological children. Other members of the Robertson family are sure to make regular appearances on the show, but the focus lies on Jep and Jessica.
Jep and Jessica met in 2001, and they were married later that year. After having four children – Lily, Merritt, Priscilla, and River – Jessica encountered some health risks that prevented her from getting pregnant again, and it wasn’t long before the family started thinking about adoption. Now that they have brought the baby home, they couldn’t be happier. Jessica told Life & Style Magazine, “We wanted it to happen for so many years, so to actually have him and hold him and know he’s actually ours and we’re his forever family, we’re excited.”
Follow the family’s journey on Jep and Jessica: Growing the Dynasty, which premiered on January 20, 2016.

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Faith Hill Embraces Her Adoption Story

Indikon Media — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 14:30:16 +0000

Faith Hill is recognized across the world for her music, but she is just as highly thought of in the adoption community for her advocacy of domestic adoption. She even played a major role in helping her biological brother turn his life around, even though she didn’t know him for the first 20 years of her life.
On September 21, 1967, Hill was placed for adoption by her birth mother and adopted by Ted and Edna Perry, who named her Audrey Faith Perry.
As Hill’s career blossomed in her late teens and early twenties, so did her desire to reconnect with her birth family.
“I was adopted into this incredible home, a loving, positive environment, yet I had this yearning, this kind of darkness that was also inside me,” she told Good Housekeeping.
Hill decided to shed some light on the darkness that she couldn’t escape. After moving to Nashville in 1993, when she wasn’t working on her next album or concert, she was searching for her birth family – and she found them.
“The first time I met my birth mother, I just stared at her,” Hill said. “I’d never seen anyone that looked anything like me.”
And she learned that she had a biological brother as well. As excited as Hill was to meet her brother Zachary White, he was perhaps even more excited to meet her.
According to National Enquirer, White had many run-ins with the law, including stealing purses and cars to fuel his drug addiction. Fortunately, White found the help that he needed and began to turn his life around. Then, Faith Hill entered his life, and remained there.
“I made my share of mistakes in the past, but Faith showed me that I could be a better person,” White told National Enquirer. “Faith is a beautiful, amazing person, and she’s forgiven me for the mistakes I made when I was younger.”
Hill continues to serve as an inspiration to anyone who has been touched by adoption. Anyone can see how Hill isn’t ashamed of her adoption, she’s embraced it. And because of her adoption, she has not just her adoptive parents that love her, but her birth family as well.
And if Hill wasn’t placed for adoption, would she be the mega-country star that she is today? Thanks to her birth mother, we will never know.
“I have a lot of respect for my birth mother and no feeling of anger or any of that,” Hill said. “I know she must have had a lot of love for me to want to give me what she felt was a better chance.”
References:

“Faith Hill Exposed: Her Addict Brother Reveals Shocking Family Secrets — Drugs, Arrests, A Secret Adoption & More!“ – Radar Online
“Faith Renewed“ – Good Housekeeping

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A Birth Mom’s Journey: Kate Mulgrew

Indikon Media — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 14:00:42 +0000

In 1977, a young Kate Mulgrew became pregnant unexpectedly with a man she did not wish to marry. At a time when pregnancies outside of marriage were considered taboo, Mulgrew knew marrying the father of her baby was not the right decision for her.
The actress, best known for her portrayals of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and, more recently, Red in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, has defended her decision stating that it was the best option for her and her child.
“Abortion was absolutely out of the question. So was marriage,” Mulgrew told Wilmington Star-News in 1979. “I suppose I thought I was in love…but I knew he wasn’t the man I wanted to spend my life with.”
Mulgrew became pregnant just as her acting career was beginning to blossom through her role as Mary Ryan in the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. The show’s writers wrote the pregnancy into the script allowing her to continue her acting career. But even so, she wasn’t ready to become a mother and “would not consider raising a child as a single parent.”
She remained committed to her adoption plan throughout her pregnancy and made arrangements with a Roman Catholic agency to complete the adoption. Mulgrew revealed to the Star-News that there were only two times when she “cracked.”
“The first time was the night I sneaked out of my hospital room and, against policy, went down to the nursery and stood at the glass partition getting my only look at my daughter. It was a terribly difficult moment,” Mulgrew said.
The second time “was when I went home from the hospital – without her.”
Finding Peace
Raised an Irish Roman Catholic, Mulgrew believes the sanctity of marriage is of the utmost importance. She grew up in a tight-knit, loving family and they were incredibly supportive of her decision to place the child for adoption. She finds comfort in knowing that her daughter was raised in the same sort of family.
“I know my child is being raised somewhere by two loving parents in a home that’s filled with warmth and joy,” Mulgrew told Star-News.
Mulgrew has no regrets about her decision to place her daughter for adoption and is thankful to have had the experience.
“I believe it was God’s will,” Mulgrew said. “I wouldn’t trade the experience. I also wouldn’t repeat it. It’s a lingering pain, a pain that will always be there.”
Through the pain, however, Mulgrew has been able to find peace in her decision.
“Though I’m always going to feel the hurt, at least I know my child is alive and that she is happy somewhere and growing up surrounded by love.”
Mulgrew is now happily married and has two sons. She was reunited with her biological daughter in 2001.
References:

“Kate Mulgrew – The Child I Gave Up“ – AARP
“What Kate Mulgrew Asked the Daughter She Gave Up for Adoption the First Time They Met“ – People Magazine

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Jolie-Pitt Family Not Expanding Just Yet

Indikon Media — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:51:40 +0000

In the midst of recent speculation that Brad and Angelina were gearing up to adopt a seventh child from Cambodia, the Cambodian government has stepped forward to strike down the rumors. While Jolie was filming in Cambodia last month, there was no talk of adoption, and currently, adoptions are closed between the two countries.
But that doesn’t mean the Jolie-Pitt clan is done growing. In fact, they had even talked about having as many as 12 kids. Whether or not that is still part of the plan is anyone’s guess, but the possibility is still there.
Jolie and Pitt are no strangers to adoption, and their six children have always been of great interest to the public. In 2002, they adopted Maddox from Cambodia, and in 2005 they traveled to Ethiopia to add Zahara to their family. Brad and Angie then welcomed their first biological child, Shiloh, in 2006. A year later the clan adopted again, this time a young boy from Vietnam whom they named Pax. Then, in 2008, the clan welcomed two more biological children, Knox and Vivienne, 5.
A family with six (soon seven?) children may seem overwhelming to many, but Brad and Angelina seem to be handling it with grace. Though they have been both criticized and praised for their parenting styles (see Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s decision to dress like a boy), it seems that the clan is perfectly happy. The next child, if and when he or she arrives, is sure to be welcomed whole-heartedly into their family.
References:

“About the Jolie-Pitt Kids“ – Jolie-Pitt Resource
“Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Adoption Rumors Shut Down by Cambodian Government“ – ET Online
“Cambodian Government Denies Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Adoption Rumors“ – Huffington Post

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Charlize Theron: Two-Time Adoptive Mother

Indikon Media — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 14:00:12 +0000

The South African 40-year-old Charlize Theron, known most recently as Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, is one of many celebrities to adopt domestically – and one of many women to adopt as a single mother.
In 2012, Theron adopted an African American baby boy and named him Jackson. She always wanted to adopt a baby, even if it meant as a single mom.
“Why not? I’m open to anything in life,” Theron told Australia’s Madison Magazine.
Theron’s decision to adopt a baby wasn’t one she made overnight, as her mother recently reminded her of a letter she wrote as a child:
“Would you please take me to an orphanage, so that I can go and adopt a baby?” it read. “I always knew I would adopt. Always.”
And even though she is a single mother, following the ending of her long-term relationship with Stuart Townsend, Jackson wasn’t necessarily an only child.
“From the moment this baby come into our home, (our) two dogs have never been more in love,” Theron told Us Magazine. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed.
Theron shared that her pitbull, “Blue,” even wakes up for every feeding and diaper change.
Adopting baby Jackson wasn’t an overnight process, as many people believe is possible for celebrities. Theron waited nearly two years to complete the adoption process, but it was all worth it once she finally held Jackson for the first time.
Theron recalled her mother telling her: “You know, it took me nine months to fall in love with you while you were growing in my stomach, and it took you two years to fall in love with this little baby.”
“It took two years of waiting, and then one day, it’s finally there, and it feels exactly how it’s supposed to feel,” Theron said. “I don’t know how to describe it. It just feels right.”
In 2015, Theron was ready to adopt again, and she welcomed a little girl into her family, who she named August. Her second adoption did not take as long as the first, the whole process lasting around six months. Today, they are a happy family of three (plus the pooches), and Theron serves as a model for single parents and adoptive mothers.
References:

Charlize’s little angel! First look at Theron’s adopted son Jackson as she debuts him out of his baby capsule for the first time – Daily Mail
Charlize Theron Tearfully Recounts Two-Year Process of Adopting Baby Jackson – US Weekly
Charlize Theron Adopts Second Child, Baby Girl, After Sean Penn Split – US Weekly

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