Meet the Connery-Frazee Family!
“We’ve learned that the more loving people there are in a child’s life, the better off that child will be.”
(2011) Like many families who ultimately decided to adopt, Samantha and Vanessa both had positive childhood experiences that they wanted to share with a child of their own. They became foster parents to Jayden when he was just three days old. They received the call while they were at work and raced to go pick him up from the hospital. They spent the first seven weeks taking Jayden to visit his biological mom, who at the time was planning on relinquishing her parental rights. However, once she found out that Jayden had not been placed in a foster home with a mother and father, she had second thoughts and decided to work on reuniting with her baby boy. The biological mother and foster parents finally decided to meet, and one successful meeting led to another, which ended with Jayden’s biological mom asking Samantha and Vanessa to adopt him. Now his adoptive parents, Samantha and Vanessa remain dedicated to maintaining as much contact with Jayden’s birth mom as possible.
As teachers and social workers, the decision for Samantha and Vanessa to adopt from foster care was easy. The couple attended an information session for LGBT families and after listening to other’s share their stories, they knew it was the right path for them. Although they haven’t had much experience with post-adoption services, they know that they will need help in the future. Jayden has two siblings who live nearby, and his parents are currently looking for help to ensure there is a connection made with his kin. Looking ahead, they know that there will be a time when they will need help learning how to talk to Jayden about his adoption story and what it means to be a child with two mommies.
Samantha and Vanessa believe that the shortage of foster and adoptive parents stem from the negative stigma associated with the foster care system and the children, who by no fault of their own, end up in that very system. They want members of Congress and others to understand that the more visible foster and adoptive families become, the more they will be seen as normal families. “We are very thankful for Jayden who has helped us redefine what it means to be a family.”
This loving family is a prime example of the importance of support systems. Although Jayden was just adopted this September, Boulder County has been a huge support system for the family the entire time. They proved to be very open to diverse families and strongly encouraged the couple’s decision to have an open relationship with Jayden’s birth family. “We feel blessed to have such a positive relationship with Jayden’s family and for all the support we have received along the way.”
