Stephanie and her boyfriend placed their son for adoption. Eight years later they are able to continue to surround him with love and support through an open adoption. This is Stephanie’s story and why she chose adoption.

It's hard knowing that my daughter is calling somebody else "daddy" but, ultimately, it's all part of the process, and in my opinion, more than anything, it teaches us, as fathers, how to be more resilient.

Realizing that I wouldn’t be able to provide for her in the way I felt my daughter deserved was ultimately what led to my decision to adopt. I talked to my parents about it, and they agreed that it would be difficult with me being in the military and raising her on my own. I didn’t think that it would be fair to my daughter to struggle, and I didn’t want to leave her without her father if I had been deployed, and something would have happened to me.

It's not easy to place a child and to decide that you're going to let another man be the father figure in their life.

"At 16 the thought of being a father when I could barely change my own tire was just completely overwhelming."

"Seeing them with Micah brings me great pride, I helped make this happen. I have dreams about all of us getting together as we watch Micah grow. One big unusual...yet perfectly normal family." #BraveLove

"Of two things I am certain 1) that my daughter loves me and 2) that I made the right choice. I am a birth father and 15 years ago I chose to place my daughter, Belle, in open adoption." - Rick