13-Year-Old ‘Newborn’: Adopted Boy’s Photo Wish Goes Viral

A 13-year-old adopted boy’s wish to have photos of himself as a newborn child has gone viral and touched the internet community.

Most people have at least a few, if not many, photos of themselves from childhood. Parents often have professional photographers snap shots of their newborns in dreamy and sweet repose.

Unfortunately, some adults find themselves without any visual reminders of childhood years. This is especially true for adopted children, who often miss out on the opportunity to look back on their youth through pictures.

NBC News writes that this was the case for 13-year-old Latrell Higgins, who was adopted at the age of 10 alongside his younger sister Chanya. The boy recently expressed his sadness at the absence of his own baby pictures to his adoptive mother.

The Higgins family decided there was a way they could remedy the situation, at least to a degree. A plan was devised in which Kelli Higgins, the boy’s mother and a professional photographer, would create “new” newborn photos of Latrell. She recalls her feelings at the time:

“I was very sad too because I didn’t have any photos of him either. I think it’s really hard to have children and not know what they looked like when they were younger.”

The Daily Mail writes that there was a healthy dose of humor surrounding the idea as well. The family joked at the idea of the 13-year-old striking typical infant poses, and the photo shoot itself brought hysterical laughter.

The resulting pictures show Latrell swaddled, sleeping, and sweetly posing just as a newborn would. While the concept is amusing, the photos are actually quite beautiful and serene. However, the humor is evident in the caption his mother wrote when she posted them to Facebook:

“Here’s my sweet not so little newborn! His name is Latrell and weighs 112 lbs.”

The fulfillment of Latrell’s wish has brought the family an overwhelming response from people across the internet. The photos have gone viral on Facebook with thousands of likes. The Higgins family hopes that it will raise awareness for the adoption of older children.

Kelly Higgins talked about the response:

“[Parents] come to me telling me that they were thinking about adopting a baby, but after seeing those photos it’s changed their minds and they want to adopt an older child.”

What do you think of the adopted 13-year-old boy’s newborn photos?

[Image by Kelli Higgins Photography]