A man’s journey to become a father through adoption wasn’t as difficult as he first thought – with the right help.
Anthony Kyhn says his son, 2-year-old Brixton, imitates the nightly routine he has received since the day he was first brought home with his stuffed Curious George toy.
A couple of years ago, Kyhn took the plunge into parenthood. Through Child Crisis Arizona, the small business owner found a pathway.
”They didn’t care I was a solo person, or gay or straight, it didn’t matter,” said Kyhn.
Starting qualifications to be a foster parent through Child Crisis Arizona include being financially secure enough to not rely on the state, having a home or apartment, and passing a background check. Home inspections, interviews, and classes come in the months ahead.
When it came time for Kyhn to open his home, it didn’t take but 48 hours before he got the call that his top choice, a baby, was looking for a caretaker.
Little did he know it at the time, but Kyhn was holding his son at 5 weeks old.
”I looked down at him and was like, ‘Okay, I have to let my guard down.' The whole point of foster is to give love they weren’t receiving,” he said.
In Arizona, foster parents have to care for a child for a minimum of six months before they’re eligible for adoption.
During that time, case workers typically work to find the biological family for the child.
Today, there are nearly 10,000 kids in Arizona foster care. The biggest age group is teenagers 13-17 years old.
”I thought there would be more hurdles,” said Kyhn when asked how Arizona Child Crisis helped him grow his family.
Kyhn found fatherhood with the help of an advocate on his side.
The journey to start this family didn’t come without fluctuating emotions but there’s one that takes over in the end – happiness.
For those thinking about expanding a family, Kyhn says, “There’s no right or wrong way to make a family, it’s just important that, if you want that, to go after it.”