Love never fails. Love is never-ending. Love is unconditional. All of these are true, especially in this remarkable love story. Bill Jones is thought to have been California’s first single adoptive dad. But it was a long, hard road for him.
Bill adopted his son Aaron in 1969, and from the start, it was not easy. Aaron’s mother was a heroin addict, and he had been rejected by five families. But Bill did not give up. Later, Aaron was diagnosed as schizophrenic. But Bill did not give up. At the age of 30, Aaron died as a result of a heroin overdose. But Bill never gave up on his son.
This is a true parent’s love. How do you show your children that you love them? Is it having dinner together and talking about their day? Is it having daddy-daughter or mommy-son one-on-one time? Is it putting down your phone or turning off the television and playing a board game as a whole family?
Obviously, every family is different, and every child receives love in a different way, but it is your job, as parents, to find that special way to show your children they are loved.
For me, my parents showed me unconditional love and still do to this day. Their support of me and the decisions I make is the main way they show their love. When I was young, they came to all of my games and participated in my activities, and we always had dinner together. I hope to show this love to my daughter as she gets older. I want her to grow up to be a confident woman who knows she is loved and has a strong conscience to make the best decisions for herself.
“Kids can’t get better until we prove to them, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they’re good enough the way they are.” – “Parenting with Love and Logic”
Besides being available to your children, I feel you also need to love your children for who they are and not who you want them to be. Don’t try to change them into someone they are not. Bill accepted and loved Aaron unconditionally, even with all of the challenges that occurred. Always support them and allow them to follow their dreams.
“I still cry over the ending. But …I would do it again. I loved him so much, and he loved me, too. And so, I was lucky in so many ways,” Bill Jones said in an interview with NPR.
What will you do today to show your love to your children?
