Duke And Steve’s Story From The Let Love Define Family Series

From rationing sugary snacks to lying on the floor with the kids playing with Legos, the couple featured in today’s Huffington Post Gay Voices RaiseAChild.US “Let Love Define Family™” series has found that adopting through foster care was exactly the right fit for their family.

Most foster-adoptive parents have to wait for the placement of a child in their home. For Dallas resident Duke Nelson and his husband, Steve Nelson, it was a completely different story.

“We received our foster care license on a Friday at noon and at 3 p.m. we were told we were selected for an emergency placement,” recalled Duke. “The kids were at our house at 5 p.m.!”

Both dads are 42 years old. Duke works in the human resources department of a technology company and Steve serves as district manager for an apparel retailer. The day the Nelsons received the momentous call from the Child Protective Services Division (CPS) of the Texas Department of Children and Family Service, Steve was actually out-of-town and flying back that day.

“Going from zero kids to three under three years old was an unbelievable experience! Willow was six weeks old at the time,” said Duke. “At the end of that first night, I wasn’t sure what had just happened!”

What’s the best thing about being a parent?

“It’s hard to pick one thing,” said Duke. “There are moments every day that are just perfect. All of the little things that we thought we wouldn’t be able to experience because we didn’t marry women. The kids sneaking into our room to wake us up before the sun comes up. Lying on the floor playing with Legos. Walking to school together in the morning. I guess the best thing is how we’ve changed. What we see as being important, special, or good has shifted and deepened through becoming parents.”

Corinne Lightweaver is the Communications Manager at RaiseAChild.US, a national organization headquartered in Hollywood, California that encourages the LGBT community to build families through fostering and adopting to serve the needs of the 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. Since 2011, RaiseAChild.US has run media campaigns and events to educate prospective parents and the public, and has engaged more than 2,500 prospective parents. For information about how you can become a foster or fost/adopt parent, visit www.RaiseAChild.US.

The Huffington Post