Boy Stuns Stepdad-to-be at the Altar With Adoption Papers
Young Love
Matt and Jason have been close from the day they met.
When a kid named Jason was one year old, his single mom, Leslie, met and fell in love with a man named Matt. They had met at a country concert and formed an immediate connection. When Leslie introduced Matt to Jason, however, she knew she had found the one. As it turned out, Matt felt the same way.
“I never dated anybody who had a kid before, but it was definitely fun,” he said, as per a Happily video. “A guy gets to be a little kid again, playing with a little boy, splashing in mud and just driving his mom crazy.”
As the newly formed family’s bond strengthened, they decided to add to it. Matt and Leslie had a daughter, and after four and a half years together, decided to get married.
Finding His Place
Jason adored Matt, but the child still wondered about his place in the blended family.
“He was just kind of confused why his sister had my name and how Mommy was getting my name and he didn’t,” Matt said. “I explained to him that one day [he] would.”
What Matt didn’t know was that Jason had a surprise of his own. Together with his mom, he hatched the ultimate plan (and present) for Matt during the big wedding day.
“I knew you were something special,” Leslie said in the video. “But the moment that will forever live in my mind is the morning after the very first night we spent together when you met Jason for the very first time.”
Leslie explained to everyone how Matt and Jason became the best of friends. After about three or four months together, she remembered seeing Jason point at Matt and call him “Da-Da” over and over again.
Making It Official
The bride added how they had corrected Jason, but he didn’t care.
“It was like he was telling me, ‘No, Mommy, that’s my daddy, and he is not going anywhere.' And you haven’t,” she told her groom.
As Matt fought back tears, he added in a voice-over that at that moment, he had an idea of where the wedding was going to go, and it hit him like a “ton of bricks.”
“Today we are celebrating so much more than just the two of us,” Leslie continued. “We are celebrating all of the things that we have already accomplished in the last four and a half years. And we are celebrating one more thing…”
At that point, Jason walked up to the alter with a stack of papers. They were adoption papers along with some photos and pictures Jason drew, including one that said, “Will you be my daddy?”
A Chosen Family
Matt was incredibly touched, but in his heart, he also knew it was meant to be.
“Three or four years ago when he started calling me Daddy, and we started to go with it, I was kind of like, ‘Yeah, you’re my boy,’” he said.
Now that things are official, Matt added that the only thing that will change is Jason’s name. He’ll have the same last name as his sister, but otherwise, their relationship is the same loving father-son bond that it’s always been.
“He’s always been my little boy, and I’ve always been Daddy,” Matt wrapped.
Bonds Beyond Blood
This story is so beautiful because it reminds us that while anyone who is biologically able can have children, not everyone can be a mom or a dad. Parenting is a lot more than just having a child. It’s about being there and showing up during the hard times, fostering the relationship, and representing home for that child. It’s a daily job with no holidays that fills your house with love.
Matt provided all that and more, which made this surprise so sweet. It also gives us hope that this kind of relationship is possible for anyone seeking it, whether you’re an aspiring parent or someone who is looking to find your own chosen family.