Daniel and Jerrie Teague
Daniel and Jerrie Teague have been foster parents for the past nine years. They have cared for 43 children and have adopted four children. Their most recent adoption is one that shocks many people. On September 8, 2023 they adopted their 18 year old foster son, Mez!
The Teague family said “yes” to Mez in November 2021, a week before Thanksgiving. However, they had decided prior to his arrival that they were going to take a break from fostering for a little while. But on that day in November when the Program Manager called them begging them to keep Mez for just one night, they couldn’t say no. On paper, Mez was a 16 year old, 6 ft. 5 male with a history that would make even the most seasoned foster parents say no. They agreed to meet Mez the next morning for breakfast to introduce themselves and discuss their family expectations. Their breakfast meeting went well. It broke their hearts to hear him say that he had heard the phone calls about him and had heard 25 families say no to him. It greatly impacted him that the Teagues said yes and were willing to give him a chance. They agreed to a short-term placement while the DSS team worked to place him in a therapeutic home.
After a couple of weeks they were notified that DSS had found a placement for Mez and DSS would be moving him. Mez was upset that he had settled in with the family and he didn’t want to move. Daniel agreed and wanted to know if Mez could stay. After discussing the options with DSS, it was decided that Mez would continue to remain with the Teagues. Over the next few months, Mez was able to accomplish a lot with the help of the Teagues and his LINKS worker. He was able to obtain his GED and got a job at a local pharmacy. Mez loved going to church with the family and made the personal decision to be saved and baptized. He became very involved with the church youth group, sharing his testimony and working as a camp counselor for two summers. Mez made friends easily and everyone loved his infectious smile and amazing testimony.
Mez shares that there were so many things the Teague family and their community did to make him feel like family. He loved that they hung his picture on the wall at home and included him in family pictures. He was shocked and so appreciative when Jerrie came home one day and had bought him his favorite purple Doritos. He couldn’t believe that she knew his favorite snack. Mez bought speakers for his car and brought them home with a friend one day. He asked Daniel if he would help install the speakers in his car and they spent the evening working together on the project. As Mez was taking his friend home he said, man I wish I had a dad like yours. Mez stated-yeah I have the best family. The Teagues’ church family and large extended family also accepted Mez into their groups without hesitation. If they knew of his past, they never mentioned it or let it impact their ability to include him and care about him.
A few months before his 18th birthday, Mez asked the Teague family about doing a legal name change. Jerrie reached out to Foster Family Alliance of NC to inquire about adult adoptions for aging out foster teens. After receiving some information about the process, the Teagues made the decision to ask Mez on his 18th birthday if he would like to become an official Teague family member through adoption. The answer was a definite YES and they filed the adoption petition immediately! They scheduled a courthouse ceremony, complete with matching adoption shirts and a courtroom filled with family and friends. Mez decided to change his name through adoption to include his adoptive dad’s name. Daniel Mez Teague. It was a day filled with lots of love, laughter, reflection, and tears.
Mez will tell anyone that if the Teagues had not said “yes” to him, his life would look very different. The Teagues will tell you that Mez had to say yes too! Without Mez’s desire to live with them and to make better choices, his story would not have turned out this way. Jerrie is grateful that even though they were going to take a break from fostering, they decided to take a chance on Mez. Their lives wouldn’t be the same without him. Their family has been blessed four times through adoption-with the journey starting each time with a “yes”.
