Connie Britton's life was transformed by her decision to adopt. The 53-year-old actress adopted son Yoby from Ethiopia in 2011.
It was a moment of elation. Connie's adoption journey had started three years earlier. She didn't know what would happen, but when she was finally able to adopt then 9-month-old Yoby, it was like all the stars aligned.
Connie has loved motherhood and cherishes every moment. She doesn't share too much about Yoby, but when she does, she's clearly filled with joy.
Fast-forward to today, and Yoby is now 9 years old. In a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, a fan asked Connie when she knew she was ready to adopt. She opened up about how her experience unfolded and what she learned along the way.
In November 2011, Connie Britton shared the exciting news that she had adopted a baby boy. It took three years for Connie to line up an adoption, but she was thrilled when she brought 9-month-old Eyob, who goes by the nickname Yoby, home from Ethiopia.
"I am thanking my lucky stars every day," she told People magazine.
Connie shared the best moment of all, when she was first able to hold her son.
"It was such a wonderful moment of completion," she said.
"I thought I was going to collapse into a puddle of tears. I was just grinning from ear to ear."
In the years since, Connie has done a wonderful job of balancing the desire to respect her son's privacy and the desire to gush about the child she so loves. In 2017, Connie told People that Yoby has served as a real inspirational figure in her life.
"My son is adopted from Ethiopia so I always say I can take very little credit, but he, from the beginning, just inherently has had such an open and curious heart and love of life," she shared.
"He's very into learning and seeing what's happening and seeing what people are doing," she continued.
"I just love that about him. And it immediately opens me up as well."
Recently, Connie was asked about the process of adopting Yoby during a virtual appearance on Watch What Happens Live. Andy Cohen read a fan question asking what was Connie's "particular light bulb moment" that led to her adopting.
"I had no idea what I was even getting into," Connie said.
"It wasn't so much 'I can do this' as much as I knew that I wanted to be a mom," Connie noted.
"And, in truth, both of my parents had passed away within three years and suddenly like I was like, 'Oh no, my family is no more' — I mean, I have a twin sister — but that was a big loss, losing my parents. And I wasn't in a relationship that felt like it was going to be a marriage relationship and so I was like, 'What am I waiting for?' I know I want to adopt, I can do this!"
"But that was a little delusional, cause it turns out it's a really hard thing to do," she added.
"But I would only encourage anybody to do it. You can do it!"
In the past, Connie has toyed with the idea of adopting again. More recently, she shared a different perspective.
"You know, somebody said to me once that you don't want to be outnumbered by your children, which I think makes really great sense," she told SheKnows.
"As long as I'm single, I don't know that I've thought about it so often. Because on one hand I would love to have a sibling for him, but then I go the other direction and think about how he and I have become such a great little team that I almost wouldn't want to rock the boat. But I'm always open, for sure."
