Last month, parenting YouTuber Myka Stauffer and her husband James revealed in a video that they had rehomed their adopted son Huxley.
The couple, who adopted Huxley from China in 2017, reportedly fundraised from their followers in order to pursue the adoption and went on to feature the 4-year-old on Myka’s social media channels in branded content.
After Myka’s followers noticed that Huxley had been absent from social media, the couple shared an emotional video explaining their decision to move their son into more experienced care - sometimes known as 'rehoming.'
James noted that Huxley, who was diagnosed with autism, had “a lot more special needs that we weren't aware of, and that we were not told.” While Myka added that they would be sharing limited information about what transpired to lead them to their decision “to respect our son’s privacy.”
On June 24, Myka, who has four biological children, broke her silence surrounding the mix of criticism and support she and her husband received following their announcement.
“I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all of the hurt that I have caused,” she began in a lengthy statement on Instagram.
Myka apologized “for letting down so many women that looked up to me as a mother,” before touching on the adoption process and her and James’ decision to rehome Huxley.
“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,” she wrote.
“I apologize for being so naive when I started the adoption process, I was not selective or fully equipped or prepared. 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,” Myka explained, adding, “For me, I needed more training.”
Myka also addressed criticism over the money she earned through sponsored social media posts that featured Huxley. “To debunk a couple [of] complete rumors, we did not adopt a child to gain wealth,” she wrote.
“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.”
Myka also shared that neither she nor her family is “under any type of investigation,” before assuring her followers that Huxley is well taken care of.
“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.”
