Myka Stauffer is breaking her silence amid a wave of backlash surrounding her decision to rehome her adopted son.
The popular family YouTuber returned to social media on June 24, nearly a month after she and her husband James revealed in a since-deleted vlog that they’d permanently placed 5-year-old Huxley with another family due to his extensive medical and behavioral needs. The parents – who share three biological children, as well as Myka’s daughter from a previous relationship – adopted Huxley from China in 2017 when he was two years old.
Myka shared a lengthy statement addressing her choice, which received widespread criticism online from the adoption community and beyond.
“I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all of the hurt that I have caused,” she began. “This decision has caused so many people heartbreak, 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.”
Myka went on to shed more light on why she sought another home for Huxley, emphasizing that she was unaware of the challenges she’d face.
“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 naïve 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. For me, I needed more training.”
While Myka said she’s “still so glad” Huxley ended up where he is and is now able to get “all of the help he needs,” she acknowledged the damage done by the upheaval.
“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,” she wrote. “I wanted to help so bad I was willing to bring home any child that needed me. For this, I was naïve, foolish and arrogant. I wish so bad I would have been more prepared and done more. I wish the decision to disrupt never had to be made.”
The parenting vlogger also took the opportunity to address some of the talk surrounding her situation, including assumptions that she adopted Huxley to further her brand.
“Lastly, to debunk a couple 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 addressed reports that she and her husband James are under investigation. A spokesperson for the Delaware Sheriff’s Office previously told Buzzfeed News that they had been working with several other agencies to investigate the case, though authorities had confirmed that Huxley was “not missing.”
“We are not under any type of investigation,” Myka asserted, adding that she was “hoping to share more from [her] side of the story soon.”
Myka finished her note by sharing her wishes for Huxley going forward.
“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 world,” she wrote.