Letters of Recommendation

To Whom It May Concern:

 

I am writing to strongly recommend Mrs. Jessa and Keaton Brock as adoptive parents. I have known the Brocks for most of my life as close family friends, who feel more like family. Jessa and I attended high school together and I met Keaton when they began dating in college. They are my two-year-old son's favorite aunties. I can describe all of these strong character traits for Jess and Keaton with conviction because I have witnessed it all firsthand in how they raise their son, Shepard, and how they treat my son, Lukas. 

 

Jessa and Keaton are extremely loving people, who not only care for others but are also very loving to themselves promoting a healthy model of self-appreciation and acceptance to their three-year-old son, as well as to other friends, community, and family members. 

 

Jessa and Keaton are intentional in their life decisions. Everything they do is with a purpose that aligns with their values and goals for their family. When deciding what kind of education to pursue for Shepard, they used their intimate knowledge of what helps him thrive and research all options available to them, and then through discussion and patience, they make well-thought-out choices that they feel confident in and are able to be consistent and offer Shepard a strong sense of order that has helped him thrive as a happy, healthy, compassionate and intelligent child. 

 

Jessa and Keaton are very thoughtful and compassionate women. They are deeply empathic in how they connect with their family, friends, and community members. During a difficult period in my life, Keaton and Jessa sent me a care package with a little something for me to open each day, to help get me through a difficult month. These items weren’t bought but thoughtful, personalized and hand-made, requiring time, thoughtful planning, lots of creativity, but most of all loving empathy. Each day I opened a puzzle with clues from my favorite TV show or comic, a list of reasons I was a good mom, or a beautiful drawing with an inspirational quote. Jessa and Keaton demonstrated thoughtfulness about how the pandemic was affecting their local community and committed to supporting only small local businesses whenever possible in order to help them thrive during a challenging economic time even though this also required Jessa and Keaton to spend more. To them, it was worth adjusting their budget to support a community that means so much to their family. 

 

One of the things that inspire me most about Jessa and Keaton as parents is their strong parenting pedagogy. They are committed to raising independent, compassionate, healthy, and loving children who know without a shadow of a doubt that they are capable and unconditionally loved. Jessa and Keaton are both very well read and have studied many educational philosophies and have taken the parts that work best for their family and child and created a strong foundation upon which to build their parenting decisions. For instance, when deciding to enroll their son, Shepard into outdoor soccer they knew he was physically healthy with his COVID vaccine, and emotionally supported him as he entered back into a social environment with other children. They modeled cheering for all players on both teams and he quickly repeated this behavior with his own special enthusiasm. He remembered the skills of taking turns, the joy of challenging himself with a new skill to try, smiling at other children, and cheering them on. These are traits that were talked about and practiced at home so he could thrive independently and joyfully in this new environment. Their pedagogy helps set their children up for success and any child would thrive under their care. 

 

One of the reasons Jessa and Keaton are great parents is because they are also a strong couple. Becoming mothers has not taken away from their commitment to each other as spouses, which can often happen as new parents. Jessa and Keaton are very thoughtful in how they speak to each other, communicating their needs, informing each other when they are struggling, and communicating compassionately to help each other through difficult times. They support each other in creating boundaries and have deep loving respect for others' emotional and mental needs. They encourage each other to pursue independent interests that support their mental health and protect each other's needs. This loving bond is a beautiful example for children to learn about healthy loving relationships. It also allows Jessa and Keaton to show that same compassion to their children without any conditions or expectations in return. 

 

Jessa and Keaton have a strong commitment to prioritizing physical, mental, and spiritual health, and education for their children. Jessa and Keaton get their son involved in gardening, shopping at farmer's markets, and grocery shopping so he has an understanding of where food comes from and enjoyment of fruits and vegetables. Jessa and Keaton get Shepard involved in the kitchen cooking and baking food, sparking a love for healthy food and introducing him to practical life skills, independence, and family bonding around food. Jessa and Keaton are also very active with Shepard with activities such as yoga, bike riding, climbing at a local park, family hikes, and playing soccer. Jessa and Keaton also take care of their mental and emotional health and apply the skills they have learned through therapists in how they teach their son how to identify and validate his emotions and support him through difficult emotions. 

 

Building and expanding a family will naturally come with its own set of unique challenges and Jess and Keaton will have the support of their strong supportive extended family who live nearby and are very hands-on with their son. This is a strong group of people who value family above all else. They have strong traditions and history of unconditional love and acceptance of bonus family members and nontraditional family structures. I have no doubt in my mind that any child adopted into the Brock family would be immediately loved by extended family members on both sides. My husband and I and our children would also be committed to loving and supporting any child that joined this extremely loving and deserving family. We are blessed to be Shepard's godparents and are deeply invested in the happiness and strength of the Brock family and would do everything we could to support them as they grow their family. 

 

Sincerely,

Catherine Yeo