Your twenties are a tumultuous time in life. You are finding your identity, discovering the depth of who you are, and creating a value system that sticks with you through the end of your life. For one man, however, his twenties weren’t going to be selfish, but selfless.
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Barry Farmer wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life.
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While things were going well and he wasn’t worried all that much about his future, Barry knew that something was missing. There had to be something more valuable than just the rise and grind. Thinking about his childhood, he made a switch.
As a kid, Barry grew up in the foster care system and knew what it was like to be alone.
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Finding a supportive and loving family could change the course of their life, and Barry knew that he had people in his own life to thank for his success. What Barry didn’t know, however, was that he would be a single dad with three sons before his 30th birthday.
Talking to a local program director, Barry started the process.
“After talking to the director of programs she was like, ‘Wow, impressive maturity. I’m willing to take a chance and license you as a foster parent,’”
Living in Richmond, Virginia, Barry now has his own radio show! While telling his story, it became clear just how miraculous everything turned out to be.
After a year of waiting, he finally got his first placement.
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The boy was 16-years-old and he was living in a group home. He was placed with Barry and got to live with him for 6 months. It was two months after the boy left that Barry had a crazy moment.
“They asked if I want to try another teenager or do I want to go with a 7-year-old,” Farmer explained. “(I thought) ‘Why don’t we go with the 7-year-old and see how it is going to go?’ It seemed like I could be a little more active and take him places.”
The little boy needed to be placed right away.
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Barry was totally expecting a little black kid, but what he got was “just the whitest white child that I ever worked with”! As soon as Barry met the little boy, Jaxon, he knew he wanted to add to the family. Jaxon was the ideal kid and was ecstatic at the idea of having a little sibling!
Soon, Barry found Xavier, the second addition to his little family.
Xavier was, of course, a perfect fit. Their merry trio wasn’t to last long, however, they were about to add to it! The foster system reached out AGAIN with a third boy! Jeremiah, the third boy in the family, soon joined them.
“Single parenting is not wrong. It is very doable with a village,” he said. “I would encourage people to not only becoming licensed foster parents but to become adoptive parents.”
Now they are living their best life. Jaxon is 19, Xavier is 17, and Jeremiah is 11.
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