The loss of a child is a difficult experience to process even when that child never takes a breath. For this father it is that much more difficult because he is the son that he always wanted to go with his wife Janet and their three daughters. It is after this loss that he hears about adopting a child and after much deliberation they decide to go through the process. Months later they bring home six-year-old Scotty, and in that moment everything in their lives changes. Seth immediately falls in love with Scotty, his son. They do father son things, they bond, and he gives him all the love that he feels like his son should have. It is not long after the adoption that things begin to go wrong. Scotty begins acting different, lying to his teachers, leaving school, lying on his sisters for attention from Seth, something is wrong. After an in-depth conversation with the social worker they find out Scotty’s full past: the abuse he endured and witnessed, and Janet is afraid. But Seth’s love is unwavering and be believes that his son would never hurt them. Eventually neighbors begin to complain about missing animals, and this makes Janet take the girls and leave and Seth investigate. He finds the evidence he needs and calls the social worker to put Scotty in a mental health care facility, not back in the system. He had failed another son, but he was determined to help Scotty even if he knew he had to do it from a distance. In the end Seth gets his family back and Scotty is getting the help that he needs at a hospital and like a good father Seth made sure that he did the right thing. Though he feels like he let his son down he realizes that sometimes you have to do the wrong thing for the right reasons to save the lives of those you love.
Male- Replacement
There aren’t many things that I keep in my wallet. Other than the typical: there is a $20 bill which is surprising because I hardly ever carry cash, one credit card, one debit card and my driver’s license of course because I am a responsible driver, some insurance cards and (Beat, Seth takes out a small piece of paper and unwraps it.) what’s this? (He looks at it and holds it for a second then puts it aside.) My father would always come home from work and right at the door he would take off his boots. He worked at a steel mill and my mother would go completely crazy if he tracked that nasty stuff on her carpet. “Ben take those shoes off at the door. No kisses until those shoes come off.” (Smiles) So every night I sat in the living room with the window curtains open so that I could wait for my father, and he would come in and take his boots off at the door and he would rub my head and tell me, “If me taking my boots off at the door makes your mother happy, then so be it. But if we’re being honest my dirty boots are much more attractive than my ugly feet.” We both laughed every night as if he had said something new, but I think that’s just the power of the relationship between father and son. I admire him, I didn’t know what I wanted to be in my life, but I knew, I always knew I wanted to be a father. (He looks at this paper he has unfolded for a moment and smiles.)