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It has been a long battle over the custody of little Max, one fought so fiercely that Gary Stocklaufer had life threatening weight loss surgery in order to increase the odds of little Max, whom he and his wife had been raising as their son since he was a week old, returning to their home, after he was removed at four months old.
A judge ruled today that Gary and his wife, Cindy, were to be awarded custody of the now eight month old baby boy, stating that it was in the child’s best interest that the Stocklaufer’s be permitted to adopt him.
The other couple that has been caring for baby Max these past few months, and who also had applied to adopt him, were ordered to hand custody of Max over to the Stocklaufers at a mutually agreed upon private location.
Scott and Tandy Kraus, the people who have been caring for Max while this court case has been going on, had also hoped to make Max a part of their family, considering him their son from the moment that he came into their lives. A earlier ruling to transfer custody of Max to the Stocklaufers was ignored by the Kraus family, however this time around the courts gave them little options, but to obey the ruling and say their goodbyes to little Max.
While this case was a tragedy for all involved to endure, it is important to look on the bright side. So many children sit and wait for families that never come. So many children wait in foster care year after year, hoping against hope that a family will claim them as their own, and here we have a case of a little boy whom was so loved and touched so many lives that he had more than one adoptive home jumping to be his forever family. Finally a happy foster care ending.
This is not a happy ending. It is heartbreaking. I understand that Max is well loved. The foster/adopt parents are not happy. To say that silly statement about how this is a happy ending is to only show your bias against the foster parents in this case.
It is a nightmare to have to worry if the little one will go to kinship care. How long does someone have to raise a child before they can be concedered a real parent? What a tragedy that once again the people who raise the child have little to no voice.
jalice, The tragedy here is that Max was ever removed from his loving biological/adopt home in the first place.
The court made a horrible error, and by involving the Kraus family the state created the suffering that they have gone through. My hearts do go out to the Kraus family, but Max was neither abused or neglected in the Stockalufer home, and he should never have been removed.
Fortunatly this error was corrected quickly, versus years that sometimes go by for other families who had children wrongly removed and fight to regain them (and often fail.)
To assume that kinship placement is never a good option is a big mistake. Even when birthparents have had children removed for sound reasons, other biological family may be able to give children a safe loving home.
Julie, this is truly the best possible outcome for baby Max. What a relief the judge made things right for the baby and his family. The young mother, while not knowing how to follow a legal adoption plan, clearly made her wishes known. The real tragedy here is that Max was ever removed from the Stocklaufer family to begin with. Foster parents should never cross the line of claiming a child as their own until that child is truly theirs.
Lets stop examining how big a waistline an adoptive parent has, ahd lets focus instead on how big their hearts are!