Toni's
Adoption Story
I remarried after raising my four children as a single mom for three years. I really wasn't sure at that time I really wanted to get married, for I had been hurt so badly by husband number 1. It isn't fun sitting in a court room being told you have no legal rights, for although you were legally married, you weren't legally married, for he was already married.
Well when I met George, I knew he was everything I always thought a man should be, but I was still leary. Well after three years of marriage, he adopted the four children. He told me that he wanted to make sure the children had a family and didn't feel it was a divided family. The children at the time of adoption were 13, 12, 10 and 8. They were really excited about it for they wanted him to be their daddy.
When we appeared before the judge the day of the finalization, I was nervous, but there really was no need for me to be, for George was very positive about what was about to happen. The children got to play in the court room itself, and of course George and I went into the chambers with the judge. The judge told George that since he had wanted these children to become his own, that should we have any children between us, these four would be right at the top of the list. He asked George how he wanted to do this, and George told him that he would like to have a new birth certificate issued, and the old one sealed where no one can get to it. Well that is exactly what happened.
To this day the children are very close to their dad, and although they know now that he had adopted them, they tell me, well he is our dad, and no one else is.
The children are now 41, 40, 38 and 36 and the bond I see between their dad and them, is so rewarding. I thank God everyday that this adoption took place.
Submitted by: Toni Solano CL for Ridge
Toni
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