Adopted Little Boy’s Heartbreaking Wishlist to His Parents Will Break Your Heart

A young boy from Oklahoma, once the victim of severe abuse at the hands of his biological parents, was eventually placed for adoption. But when he met his new family, he handed them a letter—one that is as heartbreaking as it is eye-opening.

Child abuse is any action—or failure to act—by a parent or caregiver that results in harm, potential harm, or death to a child. It comes in many forms: physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, neglect, exploitation, and more.

The little boy’s letter
Recently, the organization Dreamcatchers for Abused Children shared the letter written by a little boy whose parents were both struggling with alcoholism and subjected him to unspeakable neglect and violence. He had never experienced love, care, or the simplest joys of childhood. What he endured instead was a life filled with starvation, fear, and unimaginable pain.

Everything changed when a concerned neighbor noticed troubling signs coming from the household and alerted child protective services. Authorities stepped in, rescuing the child and placing him in the care of Dreamcatchers, where he was finally safe.

He found a loving and stable adoptive family. What moved everyone to tears was the note he wrote upon arriving at his new home—a simple wishlist that no child should ever have to write.

Here’s what he asked for:

“Things I want in my family:

• I want food and water.
• Don’t hit me.
• A house with running water and lights.
• I want love.
• Mom and dad don’t fight.
• I want no drugs.
• Don’t kill my pets.
• Help with school.
• Nice clean clothes.
• No lice. No bugs in the house.
• Clean house.
• Clean bed with covers.
• Don’t sell my toys.
• Treated fair.
• Don’t get drunk.
• TV in the house.
• Let me keep my school stuff.
• Nice shoes.
• My own comb, soap.
• Nice house and safe and heater coat.
• Toothbrush.”

For many of us, these are basic necessities—things we often take for granted. But for this little boy, they were all he ever dreamed of.

Let his words be a reminder: the life you live today may be someone else’s desperate wish. Never take it for granted.

If this touched your heart, please consider sharing it. You never know who might need to hear it.