YouTuber Myka Stauffer Apologizes After ‘Re-Homing’ Autistic Adopted Son
YouTuber Myka Stauffer has broken her silence and issued an apology one month after "re-homing" her autistic adopted son.
The popular mommy vlogger came under fire in May after revealing she and her husband James Stauffer placed their four-and-a-half-year-old son Huxley, whom they adopted in 2017 from China, with a new adoptive family.
The couple remained silent in the face of severe scrutiny and backlash, but on Wednesday (June 24), the Ohio-based mother of four finally spoke out with a lengthy statement in a new Instagram post.
"I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all of the hurt that I have caused," Myka 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."
She continued, "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. 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."
The 32-year-old then apologized and admitted that she was "naive" about the adoption process and "was not selective or fully equipped or prepared."
"I can't say I wish this never happened because I'm still so glad Huxley is here and getting all of the help he needs," Myka wrote. "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."
"I wanted to help so bad I was willing to bring home any child that needed me," she said. "For this, I was naive, foolish, and arrogant."
Myka went on to "debunk" a few rumors, saying "We did not adopt a child to gain wealth. 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."
She also said that her family is "not under any type of investigation" by authorities.
You can read Myka's full statement, below: