Speaking out. Myka Stauffer addressed the scandal that ensued after she rehomed her adopted son with autism, Huxley.
“I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all of the hurt that I have caused,” the YouTube star, 33, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, June 24. “This decision has caused so many people heart break and I’m sorry for letting down so many women that looked up to me as a mother. I’m sorry for the confusion, and pain I have caused, and I am sorry for not being able to tell more of my story from the beginning. I could have never anticipated the incidents which occurred on a private level to ever have happened, and I was trying my best to navigate the hardest thing I have ever been through.”
Stauffer then acknowledged that she made some missteps before bringing Huxley into her family. “I apologize for being so naive when I started the adoption process, I was not selective or fully equipped or prepared,” she continued. “I received one day of watching at home online video training and gained my Hague adoption certification which was required by my accredited adoption agency. For me, I needed more training. I can’t say I wish this never happened because I’m still so glad Huxley is here and getting all of the help he needs. I also know that even though he is happier in his new home and doing better that he still experienced trauma and I’m sorry, no adoptee deserves any more trauma. I wanted to help so bad I was willing to bring home any child that needed me. For this I was naive, foolish, and arrogant.”
She added: “I wish so bad I would have been more prepared and done more. I wish the decision to disrupt never had to be made. Adoption and all special needs are amazing and I have a ton of respect for every adoptee, adoption parent, and special needs parent. I look up to you in a million ways. And I’m sorry for hurting the community in any way.”
Stauffer went on to “debunk a couple complete rumors” before wrapping up her lengthy mea culpa. “We did not adopt a child to gain wealth,” she noted. “While we did receive a small portion of money from videos featuring Huxley and his journey, every penny and much more went back into his care. Getting Huxley the care and services he needed was very expensive and we made sure he got every service, and resource we could possibly find. Secondly, we are not under any type of investigation. I’m hoping to share more from my side of the story soon. And lastly I’m so sorry for letting you down. I also want to mention that moms need a safe place to ask for help when they are struggling. No questions asked.”
She concluded: “We love Huxley and know that this was the right decision for him and his future. Praying that Huxley only has the best future in the entire world.”
Stauffer made headlines in May when she and husband James Stauffer announced in a YouTube video that they gave their son to a “new mommy” three years after adopting him from China. The couple are parents of four other children.
She later defended her decision, telling her subscribers that Huxley “wanted” to be rehomed.
