Adopted Son Melts Hearts After He 'Realized How Loved He Is' for First Time
An emotional video of an adopted child celebrating his birthday and realizing "how loved he is" has gone viral on TikTok with 4.3 million views.
In the video, 4-year-old Elijah can be seen sitting at a table decked out with paper plates and napkins, being presented with a huge bowling ball birthday cake. He stares at the cake in what looks like disbelief, before looking around the room at all the people singing happy birthday to him, breaking into a smile and blowing out his candle.
"Watch my son realize how loved he is," reads the text.
"Our adoption journey has been a long road," Abby Tiefel, Elijah's mother, told Newsweek. "His case was a roller coaster, we had him since he was 19 months old, he was in foster care since 14 months old.
"His biological dad was never in the picture, and his biological mother was in and out of his life. We would go months without having a visit from either biological parent. Bio mom was dealing with her own traumas and addictions that made it really hard for her to be consistent. It was a very stressful and scary time.
"After months of inconsistency, the Department of Child Safety (DCS) decided it was time to terminate her (and bio dads) parental rights. After that, his biological mom decided to ask us if we would be willing to do an open adoption, and we agreed. We still send her updates every month and are in communication with her. She is now doing well and working on her college degree."
In 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that there are 391,000 children living in the U.S. foster care system and the number is rising, as reported by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Over 113,000 of these children are eligible for adoption and they will wait on average almost three years for an adoptive family.
Describing it as a "long and tough ride," the advice Tiefel would give to anyone thinking of adopting would be to "buckle up, regardless of whether your case ends in reunification or adoption."
She said: "Your mental and emotional health will be put through the ringer, but in the end it's worth it if it means you provided a safe and loving home to a child in need. We were lucky to be a part of three different outcomes since fostering: our first two fosters went to be with their forever family and we were able to give them a safe home in the meantime, our last foster child was successfully reunified with his mama, and of course Eli, who we were privileged to get to adopt from foster care. The goal should always be safe permanency for the child. A safe, loving, permanent home."
She explained that the hardest part about the process was the uncertainty. "There were times when the DCS talked about moving Elijah three hours away to live at a rehab facility to live with his biological mom, who at that time he had no real bond with. Having no control over the situation is very scary," she said.
"The most rewarding part is knowing we have given a child a permanent and safe home he deserves with a loving family. Fostering is also incredibly rewarding and although it was hard to let those children go, I feel blessed to have been part of their lives and help them get to their permanent home."
Viewers on TikTok were moved by the clip, with the post gaining over 950,000 likes and 8,000 comments.
"What a blessing to feel that as a child. thank you for giving that to him," commented one user. "That's so sweet. Made me cry! So glad he's loved and has a great home!"
Another used said: "Omg, he is so precious. Such a touching moment. I would love to send him a birthday card."
If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
