Meet the Flores Family!
We would have adopted any child, whatever their race, heritage, or ethnicity.
Experienced parents Irma Hernandez and Lázaro Flores willingly opened their home and hearts to additional children when they learned of their community’s urgent need for more foster families. The household now consists of 11-year-old Isaac (the couple’s youngest birth child); 8-year-old Jonah and 6-year-old Gracie (adopted siblings); and a 1-year-old foster son who is Jonah and Gracie’s biological brother. The Flores’s also have grown children. Jonah and Gracie were ages 2 and 1 when they entered state custody due to their birth mother’s substance abuse. Initially Gracie required therapy to address delays in speech and motor skills, but now both children function well without evidence of any special needs. Both are bright and curious, with strong personalities and diverse interests. Jonah enjoys playing soccer and other sports, walking in the mountains, and outdoor undertakings in general. He is involved in activities at the Boys & Girls Club every afternoon. Gracie prefers indoor activities. She likes to paint, color, and play with her dolls. She also enjoys learning how to cook, especially her favorite Mexican foods - chilaquiles and tamales.
Irma and Lázaro reflect upon their adoption decision: “We would have adopted any child, whatever their race, heritage, or ethnicity. We started out as foster parents and, therefore, we ended up adopting our
children from foster care. We decided to adopt the children because it would have been too difficult to have them leave our home.”
After living as foster children for most of their young lives, Jonah and Gracie were delighted when their adoption was legally finalized a year ago. The entire family attended the court event and then went out
to celebrate afterward. Speaking of the adoption finalization, Lázaro reports frustration with the journey to achieve adoption. “The process lasted almost five years. DHS and the courts seemed to give more
opportunity to the birth mother than to her children. Now we are in the same long process with the newest child, the biological brother to Jonah and Gracie.”
Jonah and Gracie are clearly thriving in their bi-cultural family. They have learned to speak Spanish, they attend a Spanish immersion grade school, and they have requested and gained residency status in
Mexico. The two have formed a close bond with Isaac, who is a very proud and protective big brother.
The Flores maintain contact with their adopted children’s biological aunts. In spite of the frustrations they have encountered with the social services and judicial systems, the Flores’s remain strong advocates for adoption. Lázaro tells others that there is no difference in having a biological child or an adoptive child. “They are equal in the eyes of the parents.” The entire family would like others to know, “In reality, adoption is something very beautiful. There are many children that need a home.”
