Every Christmas Rex, Sam, and Kyle watch Polar Express, and Kyle gets a bell.  Not just any bell, but one of the bells that fell off Santa’s sleigh.  It’s a special tradition that all three hold dear and plan to continue indefinitely.  It may not seem much different than any other family’s tradition, except that Kyle was 13 when he first came to live with Rex and Sam and this is the first Christmas tradition he could hold as his own.

Rex and Sam were not new to adoption or Amara when they decided to adopt Kyle.  In 1980, they adopted an eight-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome from Amara.  Why 25 years later would they think to adopt another child, much less a teenager?  After reading articles about gay foster children getting “stuck in the system” and facing even greater barriers to finding permanent, adoptive homes than straight teens, Sam and Rex felt a need to do something.

“We thought adopting a gay teenager would be all about the kid being gay.  But it’s much more about having a teenager in the house.  His friends, his music.  The gay issue is important and a big overlay, but before that we have to get him dressed, off to choir practice and school,” says Rex.

Today, Kyle is 16 years old and loves to cook.  His dads are both avid chefs and taught Kyle their love of good food and cooking.  They eat dinner together as a family nearly every night. When Kyle graduates from high school he plans to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York and become a professional chef. 

“We recognized right away that he is really resilient.  He had been through many stressful foster care situations and he was determined to make something of his life.
"He has some wonderful skills that float him through school and friendship,” says Rex.

Adds Sam, “[Adopting a teenager] is really not that scary.  If anyone feels they want to do something really important in life, look at teenagers. They are the most in need. They feel most rejected, the most discarded. They still need a family and they give you back so much.”