YouTuber Myka Stauffer has broken her silence over her controversial decision to give up her adopted son Huxley, who had autism.
Last month, Stauffer was under fire from viewers who believed she had built much of her wealth and online fame by video-blogging about her adopted son, who she then re-homed.
“I was naive, foolish and arrogant”
Stauffer, who also has four biological children with her husband, has now written that she was “so naive” when she began the adoption process.
”I was not selective or fully quipped or prepared. I received one day of watching at home online video training and gained my Hague adoption certification … For me, I needed more training,” she wrote in an Instagram statement.
Stauffer said she could not have anticipated all that happened “on a private level”.
“I was trying my best to navigate the hardest thing I have ever been through,” she wrote. “I wanted to help so bad that I was willing to bring home any child that needed me. For this I was naive, foolish and arrogant. I wish so bad I would have been more prepared and done more. I wish the decision to disrupt never had to be made.”
Debunking rumours
Stauffer also denied using Huxley as a way to gain wealth and said the “small portion” of money they received from videos about Huxley’s journey were invested into his “care and services he needed”.
She added that, despite rumours, her family is not under “any type of investigation.”
“I’m hoping to share more from my side of the story soon. And lastly I’m so sorry for letting you down. I also want to mention that moms need a safe place to ask for help when they are struggling. No questions asked,” wrote Stauffer.
Initial backlash explained
In May, after fans began noticing that Huxley was missing from Stauffer’s social media posts, Stauffer and her husband posted a YouTube video titled: “An update on our family.”
That was when they first revealed that Huxley had been moved to another home.
“After multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit and that [because of] his medical needs, he needed more,” said Stuaffer at the time.
The decision was met with widespread backlash, and Stauffer on June 24 finally addressed the criticisms.
“I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all the hurt that I have caused,” wrote Stauffer on Instagram.
“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.”
