‘A dream come true’

“You’re never too old to be adopted.”

These were the exact words spoken by 55-year-old Granbury resident Mendy Torres after her stepfather, Kevin Tipton, officially adopted her Feb. 16.

Torres — who was extremely close with her birth father until his death — has always viewed Tipton as a second dad.

“He’s been my stepfather since I was 6 and I had wanted to be adopted for a long time,” Torres told the Hood County News. “He just came up to me a couple months ago and he said, ‘Hey, did you still want to be adopted?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I would love to,’ and of course, I’m crying that he had thought about it, and then he said, ‘Well, it’s something that should have happened a long time ago — but better late than never.’”

In Texas, one adult can adopt another under certain circumstances. Legally, it is as if the adopted adult is the child of the adoptive parent. Adopted adults can inherit from and through their adoptive parents, according to texaslawhelp.org.

Torres said her mother, Angie, broached the topic with Kevin months ago and informed him that Torres still wanted to be adopted, but Kevin didn’t know it was possible.

“We didn’t know anything about it,” Kevin said. “But Mendy and I both had the idea and we figured it was time for her to be adopted after so many years.”

On Feb. 16, Torres and Kevin filled out the paperwork, paid the filing fee, and went before Judge Bryan Bufkin for the adoption hearing.

“It was also really special because Judge Bufkin was my children’s bible study teacher, so it was really neat that we knew him also,” Torres said. “It just made the (day) even more special.”

Torres said while many people will always remember the date of their wedding and anniversary, the day of her adoption will be one date she will never forget.

“Just because you're grown up doesn't mean that you don't still want to be theirs," she said. “In my heart, I was his but now legally I'm his, and it just kind of makes everything complete.”

“She's my daughter that I love so much,” Kevin said. “She's always been a big part of my life and I’m so glad to have her officially adopted.”

Torres and Kevin both recommend anyone considering adoption for themselves or a loved one to do their research and go for it because it is “definitely worth it.”

“Just look into what the requirements are in your state,” Torres said. “It’s really simple. You just pick up paperwork from the courthouse and go before the judge. They ask your parent if they want to adopt you and they say ‘Yes,’ and then they ask you if you're this person and you sign the paperwork that you want to be adopted, and that's it. They swear you in and it's done. It's very simple."

She said oftentimes, many stepparents don’t want to approach the topic of adoption for fear of offending their biological children or overstepping their boundaries.

"A lot of times they're just afraid to ask the question, but if it's something that you want to do, don't be afraid to ask those questions and just do it because it's such a truly loving gesture as an adult to be adopted,” Torres said. “It was wonderful.”

“Anybody who's thinking about adoption, whether it's for a child or adult, they should go ahead and get it done because it's a very pain-free process and it makes everybody feel better,” Kevin said. “I just recommend that they go ahead and get it done. The sooner the better.”

Torres said she is excited to officially be a daughter to Kevin and a sister to his biological daughter, Melanie.

“You’re never too old to be adopted,” Torres said, in a Facebook post following the adoption. “Your heart doesn’t lose its desire to become theirs with time. Adult adoption is just as magical as childhood adoption; maybe more in some ways. Today was a dream come true. I love you, Keith Tipton, aka Dad.”