During the holiday season, many people take time to celebrate with their families and reflect on the good times they have had. No two families are alike, and the path some people take to become a family is truly special. Jason and Marybeth Smith certainly never expected their parenting journey to start in the principal's office, but they are so grateful it did.
Jason Smith met his daughter, Raven Whitaker Smith, when she was in sixth grade and was sent to his office for misbehaving. Little did she know that throwing a yogurt cup in the cafeteria would be her biggest blessing.
More from CafeMom: 26-Year-Old Elementary Teacher Becomes a Single Mom of 3 After She Adopts Foster Children
Raven found herself in a bit of trouble.
When Raven was in sixth grade in 2015, she was suspended from school for fighting in the cafeteria, Jason Smith told Good Morning America. He saw the young girl sitting down and looking defeated and wanted to know what happened. The girl told him she had thrown a cup of yogurt at another girl and was waiting for a ride.
He then asked her if she'd act like that at a restaurant, and Raven told him she had never been to one. The conversation struck him, and he realized the 11-year-old, who had spent her life in foster care and group homes, needed him.
"At that point, I had felt like she just needed a hand, needed help," Jason Smith told Good Morning America. "I recognized that she needed something to go in her favor, maybe for once, that it hadn't gone in her favor in the past, but she just needed somebody to help her."
Jason and Marybeth Smith tried for years to have a child.
Jason Smith told Good Morning America that he and his wife wanted a family but had trouble getting pregnant. The couple had also fostered a trio of siblings they planned to adopt, but the children were ultimately reunited with their biological family. Jason and Marybeth were heartbroken, and he was hesitant to tell his wife about Raven, but something inside him knew they were destined to be a family.
"This was something that, obviously, he felt pretty passionate about because I'm sure she's not the only kid that he has dealt with who has been in a similar situation," Marybeth Smith told Good Morning America. "So something about Raven was special to him, and obviously I trusted him."
The Smiths started as her foster parents.
The couple officially became Raven's foster parents and worked through some emotional bumps in the road to becoming a family. Raven told Good Morning America she tested boundaries and sometimes felt like her foster father was the bad guy.
"I gave them a bunch of trouble to see what would happen. I kind of tested whether or not this was real or not to see if they would keep me no matter what, because they would tell me that but, you know, I'd heard that a lot before … I wanted to just challenge and see if they were really willing to accept me," she said.
The family worked together to get Raven caught up academically and socially and officially adopted her in November of 2017. Today, eight years after the food fight, she is studying social work at the University of Kentucky.
"I need to choose something that I'm passionate about," Raven said. "It feels really cool to tell my other classmates that I was in the system, and then they go and they tell their friends and everyone else about my story."
The Smiths want others to consider opening their hearts and homes to children in need.
Jason Smith told Good Morning America that he believes all children deserve a safe and loving home.
"I really believe there are no bad children," he explained. "Children are a product of their environment and the people who raise them, or who don't raise them unfortunately, so given the right opportunity, given the proper support, love and affection, all children can be successful."
Marybeth Smith added that the holidays are more special with Raven.
"We might have put up one [Christmas] tree before Raven … almost out of obligation," she said. "But she's made the holidays worth celebrating and we now have not one tree but like 10 trees in the house … we have a mantle full of stockings."
More from CafeMom: 14 Kids Share the Heartbreaking Things They Wish Their Teachers Knew
Raven shared her story during National Adoption Month.
DCCH Center for Children and Families shared an essay Raven wrote on November 8 to help spread awareness about adoption and foster families. She explained in her essay that her life seems perfect, but it didn't start that way. She was emotionally and physically abused by her young parents, she shared, but when the Smiths came along, they saved her.
"I love telling people that I was adopted. Not many people get to say their parents chose them. If anyone reading this is thinking about fostering or adopting a child, I urge you to take a chance and try it," she wrote. "I was twelve when I was placed with my parents. Foster care saved my life and because of that it has inspired me to be a social worker. There are so many kids out there that are just like me when I was eleven who need to be loved, cared for, and given hope."
