Nation & World News
Father of 3 adopted boys says family goes deeper than skin color
Barry Farmer believes that everyone deserves a family.
The 29-year-old African-American is the adoptive father of three white children: 14-year-old Darrell, 12-year-old Xavier, and 6-year-old Jeremiah. He said he received more than a few stares when he and his children first went out together.
"We may not look alike, but it's a typical family," Farmer said.
“In this day in time when it comes to family, and seeing color or seeing unity and belonging, and that’s what I was hoping to accomplish with my family anyway,” Farmer told WRIC. “When I have them now I can’t imagine them anywhere else, and it’s a typical family.
“I just want them to be someone that I can be proud of and they can be proud of and that’s all it takes.”
Farmer began thinking about becoming a foster parent when he was a high school student. .
“I was 17 years old when I wrote in my journal, ‘I want to adopt a child from foster care,’” Barry told AdoptUSKids.
Three years later, Farmer responded to a local newspaper ad seeking foster parents.
“I went through the training, the director who was there told me I was perfect for the program,” Farmer said.
When he was 21, Farmer became a foster parent to a 16-year-old boy. The teen was considered a high-risk placement but stayed with Farmer for eight months. The teen was then placed in a residence that could address his special needs.
"I hated to see him go, but we have stayed in touch," Farmer told AdoptUSKids. "From the beginning he called me 'Dad.' … He still does."
Since that first assignment, Barry has been a foster parent to several children. His then adopted his three sons. Darrell and Jeremiah came to his home as foster placements; he found Xavier on the AdoptUSKids website.
"I really thought I was done adopting after Xavier," Farmer said. "But then Jeremiah came along, and I thought, 'Well, this is meant to be.'"
Darrell told WRIC he loves cars and wants to be a mechanic when he grows up. Seven years ago, he said his dad asked him the most important question of his young life.
“Dad was like, ‘can I be your dad forever?’ And I was like, ‘you already are.’ And that is how I came to stay here,” Darrell said. “I was in this dark spot at first and then he just comes in the picture. And everything’s all right.”
“I didn’t expect one kid, let alone three,” Foster said. “When someone calls you Dad, you’re like, ‘who me?’ I just like taking care of children.”
