Lifestyle vlogger and YouTube star Myka Stauffer made headlines in May when she and her husband announced they rehomed their adopted son Huxley earlier this year. Huxley, originally from China, had been a part of the Stauffer family for three years before the YouTuber shared she found a "new mommy" for the toddler. In addition to Huxley, Stauffer has four biological children.
After facing major backlash for her decision, Stauffer defended herself by telling critics that Huxley "wanted" to be rehomed. This led to more backlash for the YouTuber, as well being let go from many of her brand partnerships. On Wednesday (June 24), Stauffer once again addressed the situation with her followers. She posted a lengthy message on Instagram to once again defend her decision to rehome Huxley.
“I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all of the hurt that I have caused,” Stauffer began. “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.”
“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," Stauffer wrote.
Stauffer expressed remorse over being ill-prepared to take in an adopted child. "I wish so bad I would have been more prepared and done more," she said. "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.”
At the end her post, Stauffer took some time to "debunk" some of the rumors she'd seen and heard about her family since their announcement, including accusations they adopted Huxley as a cash grab for their YouTube channel. “We did not adopt a child to gain wealth,” she said. “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.”
“We love Huxley and know that this was the right decision for him and his future," she concluded. "Praying that Huxley only has the best future in the entire world.” Since announcing she and her husband had rehomed Huxley, Stauffer removed photos of the toddler from her Instagram page.
Photo: YouTube