Woman Adopts Former Student From Foster Care After Sharing Undeniable Bond
Paige Bramlett, 26, and her seven-year-old son, William, will celebrate their first Christmas together officially as mother and son.
Bramlett adopted William this past October after being his foster mom for more than a year.
Bramlett met William in 2019 when she was hired to work as a behavioral specialist at William’s elementary school when he was in kindergarten.
William was in the foster care system at the time and struggled with coping skills. Bramlett spent a lot of one-on-one time with him and helped him develop behavioral skills.
Eventually, the pair developed a special bond and grew close very quickly.
“I saw a lot of the potential in him. He’s very artistic and creative, and his imagination is insane,” Bramlett told Good Morning America. “No one took the time to get to know him or to see him for the child that he was.”
One day, Bramlett grew worried about William when he didn’t show up for school. It turns out that he had been put into an emergency placement because of disruptions in his foster home at the time.
When William came back to school, Bramlett rode the bus home with him every day to help him feel better, since he was so scared and unsure of what the future held for him.
Little did he know, the future was looking bright, and things would only go up from here.
Although Bramlett stopped working at the school, her time with William did not end. She continued to check in on him and see him every week, and their relationship only grew stronger.
She did a lot of research and became a licensed foster parent, and in January 2020, she became William’s full-time foster parent.
“William had his struggles, but Paige was the first home that William was in where there was constant structure and a sense of ‘I’m not going to give up on you,'” Julie Hirtzel, William’s court-appointed special advocate told GMA. “She’s done a super job of making sure that William gets what he needs. She does what every parent would do for their child.”
William, who went through at least six different foster care homes, finally has a place to call his forever home. Bramlett formally adopted William in October, just in time for the holidays!
The two of them are enjoying their new life together, and William even received a new puppy as an early Christmas gift.
Bramlett and William were also surprised with a $10,000 Christmas gift from Five Below while they were sharing their story on Good Morning America.
Watch their surprise in the video below:
