Man Who Grew Up in Foster Care Adopts Three Boys
‘I’m the Father I Wish I Had Growing Up’
Barry Farmer is raising three boys through adoption and living his dream of being a dad
One Virginia man who grew up in the foster care system is now living his dream of being a dad after adopting three boys — and he’s raising them all as a single parent.
Barry Farmer was inspired to become a foster parent after growing up in Kinship Care, a form of foster care that allows family members to raise a child when their parents are unable to care for them. While living with his grandmother as his legal guardian, Farmer says he learned how to be responsible for himself, and as she got older, he learned how to care for her when she needed help.
When he received his foster care license as a 21-year-old, Farmer took in 8-year-old Jaxon with the plan of taking care of him until he could be reunited with his family. The two bonded during their time together, and when Jaxon had was given the opportunity to live with potential adoptive parents, he turned to Farmer to ask if he could be his “father forever.”
“Becoming a foster parent was like a tribute to my grandmother because I could never pay her back, but I was definitely able to pay it forward,” Farmer, 30, of Richmond, Virginia, tells PEOPLE. “It was touching that this child of a different race felt comfortable enough to ….
