Adoption can be complicated, especially adopting from overseas, but also incredibly rewarding: That’s the message Sarah Cross is bringing to her talk at the Westminster branch of the Carroll County Public Library on Thursday.When children grow older and look back on their lives, they often turn to family portraits as the physical proof of their evolution and that of those they love. There are loving moments preserved forever, and moments we all love to laugh at, with silly grins, awkward poses and siblings in cheesy matching outfits.But for most children of divorce, these family portraits cease the moment their parents separate.
That, however, will not be the case for Bruce Dyson, the adorable little boy in the photos below. Though Bruce’s parents divorced shortly after his second birthday, they made a promise to continue taking portraits every year as a family.
“The top two photos were taken when Adam and I were married. The bottom two, taken nearly one year and over two years after our divorce was finalized,” Bruce’s mom, Victoria Baldwin, wrote in a now-viral post on the Love What Matters Facebook page. “We are not in love, we don’t always agree, we’re not best friends, sometimes we don’t even like one another. But you know what we are? We are forever connected because of our beautiful, smart, kind, compassionate, funny son.”
Baldwin tells CBS News that she and her ex-husband, Adam Dyson, weren’t always amicable after their separation. However, she quickly realized that the tension between them was hurting their son and decided to turn it around for him.
“We had a heated discussion in front of our son, who sat crying at my feet,” she recalls. “And I realized the next day I was more focused on hurting his dad than I was on comforting Bruce crying. I knew that wasn’t the example I wanted to set.”
So, Baldwin booked a photo session for herself and her son, then asked Adam if he wanted to join. He did, and they decided to take a family portrait, in addition to their individual photos with Bruce. And now, they’ve turned the family portrait into an annual tradition.
“Some people have taken the time to say I am confusing Bruce, giving him false hope that we will work it out,” Baldwin tells CBS News of the sporadic negative comments amidst all of the supportive ones she’s received since her post went viral.