Friday marked National Adoption Day, a nationwide effort to celebrate and promote adoptions out of the foster care system. In McLennan County, 10 children were formally adopted, but the local proceedings looked a little different than in most Texas counties.
For the 18th year, Baylor Law School hosted McLennan County’s Adoption Day, transforming the law building into a themed celebration. This year’s motif, “Adoptions Are Beary Special,” was inspired by the film Paddington in Peru.
Professor Bridget Fuselier, who helped bring Adoption Day to Baylor Law in 2008, said the goal has always been to create a joyful space that contrasts with the often traumatic experiences many families associate with the courthouse.
“I wanted to have a fun atmosphere, something that was just joyful and we didn’t have to think about what happened in the past,” Fuselier said.
Fuselier chooses a new theme each year, drawing on stories that symbolize belonging and family. She said the idea for this year’s celebration came while she was watching the third Paddington movie and noticed a moment near the end of the film.
“Paddington tells [the Browns] he wants to go home with them to London because the bears are his tribe, but the Browns are his family,” she said. “That’s what happens on adoption day.”
That symbolism shaped every part of Friday’s event. After a short train ride through the parking lot, families “rode” through London on indoor train tracks, stopping at stations to decorate crowns, make Aunt Lucy’s bracelets and sample marmalade. The tracks ended in a jungle-themed courtroom, where the adoptions were finalized.
That’s where two-year-old Chloe officially joined her family. Her mother, Marissa, said the date is one they’ll celebrate every year.
“November 21st, will always be a day of celebration for us and the anniversary for us to celebrate the day that she officially became ours,” she said.
Marissa and her husband have fostered several children over the past five years, including another daughter they adopted during the pandemic. She said their goal in fostering is always reunification, but when that isn’t possible, the emotions around adoption can be complex.
“It's a mixture of both grief and joy. And today is a joyous day in and day of celebration. But we hold with that the grief process of the foster care journey as well,” she said.
Those emotions, she said, are part of why hosting Adoption Day outside a courthouse matters.
“It's traumatic in the courtroom. That's often where parent rights are terminated. And so it's a place of grief,” she said. “Having adoption day here, it's all sorts of delight and joy.”
Including the 10 children adopted Friday, 440 kids have been adopted in the 18 years Baylor Law has hosted the event.
More than 100 Baylor law students — roughly a quarter of the school’s enrollment — volunteered at this year’s celebration. Fuselier said the day helps students understand the impact of service, regardless of the type of law they pursue.
“Sometimes we do things that are just good. It’s not a bunch of arguing, it’s just you doing something that’s helpful and it gives back,” she said.
For the 10 children adopted Friday, that spirit of simple good helped turn a legal proceeding into a celebration.
Got a tip? Email Molly-Jo Tilton at Molly-jo_tilton@baylor.edu.KWBU is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
