YouTuber Myka Stauffer and her husband James have announced that they have decided to "rehome" their son Huxley, whom they adopted two and a half years ago. The couple welcomed the now-4-year-old little boy, who was later diagnosed with autism, through an adoption from China in October 2017. "Once Huxley came home, there was a lot more special needs that we weren't aware of, and that we were not told," James said in a video shared on Tuesday. "For us, it's been really hard hearing from the medical professionals, a lot of their feedback, and things that have been upsetting," he continued. "We've never wanted to be in this position. And we've been trying to get his needs met and help him out as much as possible ... we truly love him." "There's not an ounce of our body that doesn't love Huxley with all of our being," Myka tearfully added. "There wasn't a minute that I didn't try our hardest and I think what Jim is trying to say is that after multiple assessments, after multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit and that his medical needs, he needed more." "Do I feel like a failure as a mom? Like, 500 percent," Myka said, saying that Huxley was living with a "new mommy" in a "forever home." "The last couple months have been like the hardest thing I could have ever imagined to going to choosing to do because ultimately, after pouring our guts and our heart into this little boy," she said. "He is thriving, he is happy, he is doing really well, and his new mommy has medical professional training, and it is a very good fit." The couple asked their subscribers to honor their privacy and said that they wouldn't be going into further details about why they made the decision to place their son with another family. In September, Myka shared a YouTube video to update her fans on Huxley's two-year adoption anniversary. She regularly documented their journey to adopt him, including monthly and yearly updates on their progress. Myka, who has four other children, said in the update that Huxley enjoys helping his dad make coffee in the morning and spending time outside, and expressed delight at his developmental improvements over the past year. By Wednesday, Myka had updated her Twitter bio to say she has four children. Some viewers of the Stauffers were quick to express their outrage upon hearing that Huxley was placed with another family, with several Twitter users using the hashtag "cancel Myka Stauffer." "So disgusting. If her biological kid gets diagnosed with autism will she abandon that kid too?" one Twitter user wrote while another said, "This is sickening. @MykaStauffer you should be ashamed and disgusted with yourself." Many of Myka's viewers pointed out that they would no longer be watching her family channel, while others criticized her for using Huxley in monetized content. (A Change.org petition was created demanding that the Stauffer family remove all monetized content of Huxley from YouTube.) "Giving away one of my children isn't a viable option for me, though," wrote one Twitter user. "Surely there are better methods of managing the obligations you willingly accepted. Frankly, I'm not interested in any kind of advice from anyone who would do this." "Okay but this myka stauffer stuff makes me really sad bc I've watched her since before she adopted Huxley and when I watched the video it made absolutely NO sense?" said another viewer on Twitter. "Your child was too hard to handle? So you ... gave him back? Like ... a gift receipt. That poor sweet thing." "You're gross for abandoning your adopted son because he didn't fit into your cute lifestyle," another Twitter user said. "So much this," another responded. "He was done making you money or what?!" While Myka was hit with a lot of criticism over the family's decision, she also received support from many viewers, like one who said she was "okay with" Huxley "going to a loving family to be and feel safe." "I see people getting upset that she had him rehomed. And trust me I am there with you, he is a child who needs loved," the Facebook user wrote. "But after hearing these horror stories about kids being beat to death and held as hostages in their own homes, I'm okay with him going to a loving family to be and feel safe. Who knows what could have happened if they couldn't have the patience with him. Bless him." "It was more than just autism and adhd And until you have had to take care of a special needs child how bout quit judging them," wrote another. "My mom passed and it was left up to me to take care of my special needs sister and believe it's not easy. And now ik just how strong my mom was to have done it on her own all these years. I'm glad they found him a family that could give him a better life than what they could." "Before we attack this woman we don't know what the child needs were at home," a third woman wrote. "Some of these children that come from orphanages from overseas have severe behavioral issues. He could've been hurting her children doing stuff that we just don't know about. Sometimes that may mean putting him in an environment that is safe for him and safe for others. The child will thrive in a place better suited for him." "It's not only because he has autism," another said on a separate Facebook post. " 'Once Huxley came home, there was a lot more special needs that we weren't aware of, and that we were not told,' It says. I do not know about his medical conditions and its theirs to keep it private if they want for The sake of his privacy." https://people.com/parents/youtuber-myka-stauffer-rehome-adopted-son-with-autism/
It's disappointing in a sense, however if she and her husband felt that they couldn't meet the needs of the child, it's probably better that they found him a better home. Special needs children can pose unique challenges that not every parent is up to. I say this with a brother who is autistic and as someone who has been around a lot of special needs kids through my life. My parents did an amazing job and I'd like to believe that any parent should be able to do the job well, but I've seen examples of parents who weren't able to meet their children's needs and that's not a good situation for anyone.
I feel similar. Seems like a really shitty thing to do, and at the same time, it's far better for him to be in a situation where he can get the additional help and attention he needs, rather than having them struggle to provide that. Likewise, working with similar kids, I see the children that have the super supportive parents, and then the parents who aren't nearly as attentive and supportive.
A simple online search will show that countries will dump their special needs kids on American adopters. That's something everyone going out of the country to adopt a child should know. To ignore this, then to use that child to monetize your youtube account, when it gets too hard to care for that child to "rehome" them, and then to again use that child to gain sympathy and money from your youtube account is disgusting. These people are scum.
I applaud those who are willing to adopt a child with special needs, it can definitely be a struggle. But this really is upsetting. I don't like how they used the word "rehome", since in a way it's really that they realized they couldn't provide the help/support the child needed. Now, whether or not they actually tried or could is a different story. There's also the rumor going around that she used the adoption initially to help with her online presence/social media platform. I feel sorry for all of them. The mom, the dad but mostly the siblings and especially the young child. not only because they have to deal with parents who would just abandon a child when things got 'tough', but also because they're pawns in their parents game. But I trust that he will find the correct home for him, and he will get the support and love that any child needs.
You rehome a dog not a person. Sorry Sly. She monetized that kid, using him to get rich off of YouTube and then threw him away because he was inconvenient? Disgusts me
Our best friends adopted two little Korean babies separated by ten years and have had zero problems physical or mental. They went through the Holt adoption agency. They call me and my wife aunt and uncle.
