Woman, 23, with 13-year-old daughter opens up on 'weird' age dynamic

A couple in their 20s have teenage daughters and joke that they could become ‘empty nesters’ before hitting 30.

Teachers Tasia Taylor, 23, and husband Drew, 25, are adoptive parents to Rory, 13, and Tamiray, 15, and say that despite the unusual dynamic it’s the best thing they’ve ever done.

Tasia said: "We honestly look younger than we are, although we do not feel the odd age difference in our family dynamic.

"People consistently have something to say about the matter and our requests as parents are not always taken seriously.

"Additionally, even with our extensive training on trauma in adolescents, and our own experiences as educators, it can be difficult to navigate the girls' triggers and we are working hard every day to be the best support system we can be for them!

"Becoming an empty nester at 28 sounds pretty good."

Tasia and Drew say they’re both passionate about working with families and helping people get back on their feet.

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They started to work with the Department of Children and Family Services in 2022 and open their home to foster children, initially saying they would take kids up to the age of six.

But in the middle of the process, they were asked if they would take on Rory.

Tasia said: "Rory was adopted on December 19th, of 2022, the biggest deciding factor in her adoption was her consent.

"She was of age to agree to be adopted and she actually requested that we do so!

"We did not push this idea upon her, and she worked with a legal advocate, through the CASA program (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to decide if this was the best thing for her!

"She fit into our family so well and we loved having her in our home."

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Tamiray, who is Tasia's cousin, then joined the family soon after - and the couple now have full legal custody of her.

The couple say their new family unit has been hugely rewarding and beneficial for all involved. "There is no love quite like a parent's love and there have been so many good moments,” Tasia said.

"One special moment was the first time Rory was away from us since moving in. She had gone to church camp and she messaged me and said, 'I love you as much as possible'.

"She hadn't been with us very long and I knew that she meant this.

"I knew that although she was dealing with hard things that no child should ever have to go through, she did love me with everything that she could and I also knew that would grow."