Teen Years 2000-2006

Because I had a bad birth family and my birth mother couldn't take care of me, she droped me off at a great aunt by marriages house. Well I soon found out my younger brother had been living with her since he was about six (he was about 9 now and I was about 10). Oh Birth mother decides to take off and maybe visit a few times over a course of four years, that's how long I lived in my aunt's house.

This great aunt immediately puts me into fifth grade and teaches me everything I needed and should have learned in my previous school years. It was a serious crash course of five years of knowledge (kindergarden- 4th grade) into one year wow crazy huh? I became an honor roll student within the year ('C' up was considered honor roll I usually had A's, B's and maybe a C or two). I kept this up till the beginning of eighth, meanwhile at the aunts house things weren't so great mostly for me but for my brother as well sometimes...

If I did anything she thought or felt was wrong I would be spanked (during my first year at her house) then it progressed to being hit with a paddle or anything that was close enough for her to grab. I'm not saying I was the best kid in the world but I came from a life where I had no rules or boundaries to follow. So when I came to her house she expected me to obey without question or problems. I did try my best to follow the rules but I did disobey on occasions whether by purpose or accident. But sometimes I wouldn't have done anything wrong and she would flip out on me, my brother or both of us at once (her sister would come over alot some times to help 'discipline' us).

Don't get me wrong there were definitely good moments or happy times with both birth family and great aunts. Alot of it depended on moods or how we interacted together, and of course rules being followed. In eighth grade my brother had major problems with both himself and the great aunts so he was taken by my uncle then I completely lost contact with him to this very day.

I met my family that I am with now and until I'm dead... during the summer after seventh grade when they became my God parents. At that time I had become 'rebellious' even though I did my chores I basically kept to myself at the house, had relationships that only my friends knew about, my grades dropped and I was no longer an honor roll student but I passed with the lowest grades possible. I was cursing everyday, and other things I probably shouldn't have done. In June of 2005 my life with the great aunt became so bad she called the cops on me a few times (for no real reason) and called my God parents to get me or else. When I was told they were willing to adopt me I completely changed my ways and did everything I possibly could to be an asset to the family. They had to go through a waiting period and get recertified before I could live with them. During that time I was in a foster home and they would come and get me for visits until I could live with them. At 16 years old I was finally adopted by John and Tiffany Knipp in May of 2006.

-John R Knipp