When you look at a family photo, it always looks attractive and well framed. The smiles on the people in the frame are a clear evidence that the family is happy and secure. But do we ever really know if a family is as happy as they look? Looks can truly be deceiving so we never really know what goes on at home. This couple adopted a boy who went ahead and dropped jaws in court when he decided to interrupt the judge...
Fostering children can be a challenging task. You never know whether the family and child would get along or not. So on August 13 of 2018, Sara Cozad was there in front of a judge with her hubby and their two foster children next to her. This was done as the final adoption process, wherein the foster mom would get to legally adopt and be their mother.
So as they were seated in front of the judge, the whole family was waiting for the final decision. The judge would answer whether the boys could be legally adopted by this woman and her husband. Just as this was happening, the older boy, Dayshawn, decided to have an announcement during the court proceedings. He went ahead and revealed something that left Cozad flooded with tears.
The court proceedings had been taking quite a long time. This day was indeed a very long time coming for the 26-year-old woman whose future was about to be clear regarding the boys. When she was young, she had known that she would one day want to become a foster mom. It was something that she had always aspired to be. So this was a big deal for her.
Ever since she was a little girl, this woman had always been interested in taking in children and being a foster mom. It was something she felt quite passionate about. And as a matter of fact, seven years prior to this day in court, this lady had first met her soon-to-be husband, Stuart Shank. Even then she quickly told him her dream of one day becoming a foster mom.
It would definitely be weird for someone to immediately confide in you that she wants to become a foster mom the first time you meet. But her husband was the kind of guy who was actually impressed by this, someone who did not have a problem with it. “I was impressed with how [Shank] rolled with it,” Cozad revealed in an interview she gave on September 2018.
Since this was the case, it was clear that she and Shank were actually meant to be. They were both passionate about a lot of other stuff too. So they fell in love and soon it came time for the couple to get married back in 2014. It was a few years following their first date. They went for their honeymoon soon and when they got back home, the journey towards becoming foster parents followed.
Cozad had always wanted to know what it was like to be a foster mom. But even after they got married, she was still quite young. During that time, Cozad was only around 23 years old and had not wrapped her head around the concept of dealing with kids that were close to her age. Up until then, she had only thought about younger kids or babies.
After they mutually agreed to become foster parents, they starting helping and taking in kids. The kids that the couple took in were very young. Cozad and her hubby only fostered newborns and toddlers on a short-term basis. They were only comfortable with handling younger babies and kids that time and so that was exactly what took place initially.
So they got to start fostering kids after they both decided that they wanted to be foster parents. They first took in a baby for seven days. Cozad and Shank were then requested to take care of a three-year-old boy called Michael. This was not supposed to take long, in fact, the newlyweds were asked to have an eye on Michael for only a weekend.
So when they took in Michael, the couple did not intent on keeping him for long. Since they had been asked to take care of the boy for just one week, they had no problem. But after they met him, the initial plan quickly changed. “That weekend turned into a week. And that week into months. And those months into years,” she revealed on their website 'Love What Matters'.
The couple took care of Michael and were very fond of him. They did not expect to keep him for such a long time. What was supposed to be a weekend had transpired to a few months now. Then, they were given a visit by someone else too. During the initial months, Cozad and Shank oversaw a visit from none other than Michael’s very own brother, Dayshawn.
It was such a beautiful moment when the two brothers finally met. As soon as the big brother saw his brother, he could not hide his host and ran straight to him, lifting him up in a warm embrace. After seeing this, the couple was quite touched and wanted to do something. Cozad realized instantly that these brothers needed to be united and never separated ever.
If they were going through with this plan, it was going to be quite the change. If they were going to take the ten-year-old Dayshawn into their home, it was going to go against all of Cozad’s plan. She and her man had both agree that they would take in only kids and toddlers. The foster mom is just 13 years older than Dayshawn which meant he was a little old.
Since they had always wanted to take in just toddlers and infants, they did not have a clue what it would be like if Dayshawn were to be fostered too. They had only been willing to foster babies so this would go against their preference and whatever they had experienced. And soon, the 26-year-old started to speak to the teenager which made it a little easier.
Since she felt unequipped to handle an older child, Cozad was not willing to take in kids that were Dayshawn's age. But at the same time, she saw that he and his brother needed to stay together. This was not the only fear that the foster mom had to overcome. Cozad and her husband were also taking care of some other children so this could add to their burden.
And since they were always eager to help out, the young couple were always looking after kids. And till date, this couple has taken in 14 children for various amounts of time. They really wanted to help kids in need so they had never stopped after they initially started. There was a goal that this couple had. It was to be able to assist their kids to get in touch or reunite with their birth parents.
After fighting with herself trying to decide what she wanted to do, Cozad could then come with a final decision. She wrote how she felt that time on Love What Matters, “We advocate for reunification whenever it’s possible. The best part about fostering is seeing parents work tremendously hard to get their children back.” Reuniting the boys felt more important than Dayshawn's age.
Since they saw first hand that the two boys were ecstatic upon meeting each other once again, it would be a sin to separate them once more. When it came down to Michael and Dayshawn, the couple was willing to make an exception. They only wanted to keep the brothers happy so they worked towards giving them both reunification and adoption.
It was unlike any situation they had ever dealt with before. So the couple had to roll along and witnessed that the boys’ case plan would shift from one goal to the next. The couple then made plans to get ready to get the brothers, Michael and Dayshawn are reunited. Although they did not plan it, after almost a year, they decided to go for a legal adoption.
The couple worked hard and put in time and effort to make sure they reached their goals. And so it took yet another six months after which they made a decision to try reunification again. This was not a trivial case so it needed a lot of time. They had to be patient and persistent in how they handled the situation. “This process went on for years,” Cozad revealed later on 'Love What Matters'.
And as they had made a decision to take in both brothers, it was going to be a long and tough ride. Adopting one child is hard enough so taking in two boys was a ride that Cozad and her husband had not anticipated to be so difficult. But as we all know there is always a silver lining to every cloud so even in this case, there was a positive side effect that took place.
It had taken more time and effort than what the couple had calculated. And even Cozad took to their website 'Love What Matters' to reveal how it had affected them both. It had taught her about patience and just also to make the most of every second that she had the pleasure of spending with Michael and Dayshawn. She would then have fewer things to worry about what comes in the future.
And there was something amazing that waited for the couple at the end of the tunnel. Even though they had been busy with the adoption proceeding, there came a time when all of their hard work would be rewarded. And by August 13, 2018, the long wait was finally over. Cozad and Shank were officially the adoptive parents to Michael and Dayshawn.
It had been such a roller coaster ride for all of them that they were just so glad that everything was over. And that day was certainly a day when everyone became emotional. They had been involved with legally adopting the boys for so long that everyone was glad to see everything fall in place. However, something in the courtroom made Cozad bawl her eyes out.
And so what happened in the courtroom? Well, there was a footage of the recording during this adoption proceedings. It showed the judge asking, “You think they all agree that this adoption ought to go forward?” Cozad and her family were right in front waiting for the judge to finish with the proceeding. But then somebody spoke out...
No one expected to hear anyone speak out or say anything. But just then, Dayshawn gave a surprising reply, “Yeah, they all love us.” It was unexpected but was definitely something that made everyone present in the court to smile. After he said this, there was laughter that filled the whole courtroom. But then the teenage boy still had something else to get off his chest.
And so what else did the teen have to get off his chest. Well, Dayshawn continued with his speech and explained, “We love them. Our whole family is the best thing we ever had. I’m glad to have these people in my life. I’m glad to be their son. They’re the best thing I ever had.” This was not asked of him but he spoke out as he felt he needed his new parents to know.
So how did this small but powerful speech affect Cozad? Well, after hearing what her boy had to say, she had already lost control of her emotions. She was in tears and had already given up the fight to hold them in. There was a sheer delight in her cry and her emotions showed how much she cared for Michael and Dayshawn. The young boy was still not done...
Since the couple was adamant on adopting him and his brother together, it was clear for him that they loved them dearly. He saw the struggle they had to face in order for all to stay together, so Dayshawn was incredibly grateful and glad to be their son. The teenager continued, “If I could wish for anything in the world, I would wish I could just love these people for the rest of my life.”
It was such a beautiful moment in court that made so many of the people present cry along with them. The brothers were now safe and sound in the care of Cozad and her hubby. And so just as they wished it would, the adoption went smoothly as planned. This called for a celebration and so Cozad and Shank threw a party inviting all their close ones to join their union.
And it was now time for everyone to celebrate as they were now legally bound. Following the adoption, Michael and Dayshawn took on Shank’s last name, wherein the teen boy even came up with a middle name for himself. He picked“Star,” which Cozad claims to describe him perfectly. “He defies every stereotype of a teenage boy,” she admitted in an interview.
And there was nothing that could stop the four of them from becoming a happy family. After Cozad adopted Michael and Dayshawn, she claims that their life although was the same, changed for the better in a way. They were already living like a family before the adoption day, and now they were legally a family. But the question on some people's mind is whether they will still foster other kids.
Well, in the month of September 2018 the couple then took another kid in. They looked after a 14-year-old child who was the first kid they took in after the adoption. They were under training to hold a responsibility as foster parents for kids who have unfortunately fallen into the hands of sex trafficking. Yet Cozad maintained that they were not special parents.
Cozad then took to 'Love What Matters' to express how she felt, “It’s heartbreaking that these demographics of teens sit in social workers’ offices or shelters for weeks (or even months) on end since so few homes are open to them.” The specialized training is an attempt to make the foster mom be well equipped to handle teenagers in however way she can.
And Cozad and Shank were completely happy to live their lives this way. They could not see their life leading any other direction other than how they were spending it now. “No child should feel grateful to have a family love them,” Cozad added, “It should be a given.” Even for the two brothers, this was a blessing. Dayshawn’s wish has come true and now they all live happily under one roof.