I am 24 and have a 16 year old child. It sounds confusing but it makes perfect sense.
A 24-year-old woman has revealed that she is the mother of a 16-year-old and three other children.
Tasia Taylor and her husband Drew, 26, are parents to Tamiray, 16, Rory, 14, 12, and Ashtyn Rose, two months old.
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Although this seems impossible, since Tasia is only eight years older than her youngest child, there is a simple explanation.
Shortly after Tasia and Drew got married, they began looking for foster care.
Initially, they wanted to foster children between the ages of one and six, but eventually settled on fourteen-year-old Rory, who happened to be in Tasia’s class.
“We didn’t know they would even let us take a teenager,” she said in an episode of Truly my extraordinary family
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Originally, the foster care was supposed to be temporary, but later the couple received a phone call saying that Rory’s brother desperately needed a place to sleep.
That’s why they decided to take the 12-year-old into their home as well and adopted both children.
Tasia’s niece, Tamiray, was raised by her grandmother.
However, Tasia shared that her grandmother is unfortunately not seriously ill and has cancer.
That’s why the couple decided to adopt her, making Tasia now officially Tamiray’s mother, despite being only eight years younger than them.
Tasia said, “We just wanted to file for legal guardianship [with Tamiray] but after we adopted the two children, it was very important for Tay to be adopted.
“We actually just adopted her a few weeks ago.”
The couple also have a biological child, baby Ashtyn Rose, making them a family of six.
“We went from zero to four in less than two years… we were a little overwhelmed,” Drew said.
How does adoption work?
In the UK, the process for adopting a child is lengthy and can take up to six months to get all the paperwork in order.
To be eligible at all, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must be over 21
- You must have been legally resident in the UK for at least 12 months.
- No criminal convictions – especially not related to child endangerment. This applies to everyone in your household.
You will also need to undergo an initial background check and assessment, which will determine your suitability for adoption.
Potential parents also have to undergo training and go through a process to match them with the right child.
Unfortunately, not everyone is equally positive towards the family.
Tasia shared a glimpse into her life as a new mother on TikTok to raise awareness about foster care and adoption.
However, the post was flooded with comments suggesting that she and Drew were “too young” to raise their children.
She said: “It’s not so much about age… I think we’re very mature for our age,” she explained.
“The worst comments we’ve gotten have been from people who assumed Drew was ‘dirty’ or that he was doing things to our kids.
“It upsets me so deeply when I hear that… it also makes me wonder where their heart is?”
However, Tasia and her family are not discouraged by the trolls and are very happy together.
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