Adoption is a theme that everyone is well acquainted with. It is when a child is legally “given” new parents due to a number of circumstances. These new parents may be the child’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, or a couple that just wants a child to love but are unable to have one of their own.

Most people know at least one person who has been adopted or gone through foster care (foster care is when parents “temporally adopt” children until the situation with their biological parents improves). Every single child’s case is a different experience, especially for senior Maria Meyer.

“Well, before, I never had a real “mom” or “dad.” When I did get [real parents], I finally felt like I had a family. One thing a foster kid can’t say they have is a home. [After I was adopted, I could finally say that,]” Meyer said.

Meyer spent eight years in foster care with her two siblings, jumping from place to place, hoping the next family that took them in would be “the one.” Some families tried to create positive environments for the young children, while other homes let them run free with no parental supervision whatsoever. Eight years is a long time to be away from one’s biological parents, but Meyer understood and accepted her situation.

“I think everything happens for a reason, so, even though I used to always wish I could go back to my biological parents, that was out of the question…there was nothing I could do to change the situation I was in, even though I wished I could fix my mom and dad,” Meyer said.

The process of adoption is never an easy one.

“There are so many expectations going into it, and so much useless paperwork. If a person wants to adopt, they better be 110% on board [with it] because adopting is not simple. By the time I was officially “adopted,” I had been living with my parents for over a year, and I had known them for about two,” Meyer said.

When the day came that Meyer and her siblings were officially her foster parents’ legal children, it was and forever will be a day that is marked as unforgettable on Meyer’s calendar.

“I was in disbelief. I never thought I’d get adopted and it seems like a fairytale every time I hear about other foster kids finally getting families. I knew I was getting too old and that people wouldn’t want to take me in, let alone my two other siblings as well. I  wouldn’t change a thing. I live in a great home with parents that care about me and in the end, I was able to stay with my biological siblings,” Meyer said.