Meet the Nedd Family!
On November 3, 2020, our life changed in an amazing way that we had only dreamed of. Our family of five became a sensational family of six through the gift of adoption! Now our family consists of Maurice and Nakita (Mom and Dad) plus brothers and sister Maurice II, Miya, and Major, and the newest addition—Miles Anthony. We are the Nedds!
Miles is a sweet, thoughtful, and extremely intelligent seven-year-old. He is the artist of the family! He expresses himself so well through his artwork, which is as colorful as his personality. When he isn’t creating art, you can find him on the football field making tackles, cannonballing into our pool, or racing bikes with his siblings and cousins.
Our story began when I (Nakita) was 14. I watched a documentary on the many African American children in foster care who never get adopted. As a child myself, I couldn’t imagine how it felt to not have a family. I knew that when I married if my husband and I had the opportunity, I wanted to adopt. Fast forward, after 17 years of marital bliss and three children, we knew it was time to start the process to complete our family. In summer 2020, after many family discussions, we took the first steps to make our long-awaited dream a reality. After going through months of classes, interviews, and background checks, we were finally ready to begin our search. We were warned it could take months, even years, to be matched with a child, and we were prepared for that wait. But within the first few weeks, as luck or divine intervention may have it, there he was! His beautiful brown eyes, dimpled cheeks, and smile warmed our hearts.
The day we all met was the best and one of the hardest days. Once our family met Miles, we knew he was our missing link. After spending the day enjoying pizza and family time at the park, it was so hard to watch Miles leave us. Daily phone calls turned into more visits, and visits turned into overnight stays. The end of each visit grew harder, but we were eventually allowed to take Miles home in July 2020!
The transition was so easy, it was like he knew he was home. After several months, though, challenges arose. Miles began to act out in various ways. We had expected it but weren’t prepared for the lack of services to help us work through it. Through lots of communication, redirection, love, and support, we made it through with the help of our amazing support system—Miles’s Auntie (TT Kim) and Uncle Dwayne, Uncle P, Grandma, Granddad, and many cousins. Our greatest strength as a family is that we are full of so much love and care!
In November 2020, Miles officially became the child of our hearts. Time has flown by; we can’t believe our son has been home for a year now. We have shared so many experiences! We celebrated his first basketball goal, watched him go from being afraid of water to swimming like a fish, celebrated his straight-A honor roll, threw his first birthday party, watched him ride a bike for the first time with no training wheels, and took him on his first road trip and plane ride. It’s been such a joy watching Miles bond with his siblings. Our hearts flutter when we see his face light up every time he sees our faces. And the hugs are endless! Every day is a journey, but it is undoubtedly the most rewarding journey.
Miles’ favorite quote is from a piece of art we have hanging in our home. It states, “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.” He understands that his young life may not have started under the perfect circumstances, but it doesn’t mean his life can’t be wonderful.
We have learned so much during the adoption process. The first is that there is a need for a strong network of counselors and other resources. Our government should fund programs that offer free counseling services, particularly transition counseling, for the children and families in adoption. Also, when you adopt a child it’s just like bringing home a new baby. Your child will need their own new clothing, shoes, furniture, foods they like, hygiene products, toys, tablets, and so on. If the government could provide families with a grant or corporate donations it would be quite helpful to many families who adopt through the foster care system in the future.
