My son adopted a baby out of the hospital almost 13 years ago. Later, he found out that the little girl had two older bi-racial sisters that were in foster homes and were about to be separated and put in different foster homes. My son was asked if he would like to adopt these two girls. He came to me and we discussed the problem for quite a few hours and I finally asked him "what do you want to do?" He said that he wanted to adopt the girls, but didn't have the $25,000.00 necessary for legal fees. Without going into a long story, I couldn't understand why the state would ask my son to adopt these girls, yet make him go through the normal legal process and obtain a lawyer.
I contacted my attorney and he gave me some more mish-mash about why the fees are so high and he said that although he isn't a family attorney that he would handle it for us for $12,000.00, which I gladly paid. This is private information between my son and I. Not even my wife knows that I put up the money. The girls completed high school and did very well in school, in society and also within their new family. Four years ago, the oldest girl started college at Penn State. In her first year, we were all seated at the Thanksgiving table and as tradition has it in our household, we all had to say one thing what we were thankful for during that year. When we came to the oldest girl she said that she was thankful for having the opportunity to join a loving family, which caused me to tear up. (I am an emotional type guy.) The, she said that she hopes to say some year that she is thankful for having the opportunity to go to Hawaii. I told here that if she showed me her report card and that she would get all A's and B's in all four years, the trip was on me.
Well, by golly, she did it. So, come next May, along with my Granddaughter and my wife, my 12 year-old Grandson and my Granddaughter's best friend are all trekking off to Hawaii for a week in May right after graduation. It is a trip well earned. She has studied to be an occupational therapist for children. She has explained it to me, so I get what it is, but still have to do more studying on it. This will be my umpteenth trip to Honolulu because I flew there for two years before going back to flying the smaller planes.
I contacted my attorney and he gave me some more mish-mash about why the fees are so high and he said that although he isn't a family attorney that he would handle it for us for $12,000.00, which I gladly paid. This is private information between my son and I. Not even my wife knows that I put up the money. The girls completed high school and did very well in school, in society and also within their new family. Four years ago, the oldest girl started college at Penn State. In her first year, we were all seated at the Thanksgiving table and as tradition has it in our household, we all had to say one thing what we were thankful for during that year. When we came to the oldest girl she said that she was thankful for having the opportunity to join a loving family, which caused me to tear up. (I am an emotional type guy.) The, she said that she hopes to say some year that she is thankful for having the opportunity to go to Hawaii. I told here that if she showed me her report card and that she would get all A's and B's in all four years, the trip was on me.
Well, by golly, she did it. So, come next May, along with my Granddaughter and my wife, my 12 year-old Grandson and my Granddaughter's best friend are all trekking off to Hawaii for a week in May right after graduation. It is a trip well earned. She has studied to be an occupational therapist for children. She has explained it to me, so I get what it is, but still have to do more studying on it. This will be my umpteenth trip to Honolulu because I flew there for two years before going back to flying the smaller planes.
