The UK is currently one of the countries that has a cut off age for adoption. I want to change this so that people 16+ can be adopted.

Many people are affected by this but, not enough is being done to change it.

As a kid, I saw my dad every weekend, I even quit my dance classes so I could spend more time with him. Then, he started seeing me less often. At the age of 14, I spoke up about how he'd make excuses on my behalf based on assumptions on the type of teenager I was just to not see me and mentioned how his girlfriend treated me like an outsider. He didn't speak to me for 2 years. After that, he saw me once when I turned 16, once when I turned 18, and called me at 23:30 to wish me a happy 21st birthday.

He was arrested when I was 22 and started calling me regularly as he was alone. Once he was released, it became sporadic again because he was back with his family. He finally started showing up again after I gave birth to his grandchild.

My stepdad came into my life at 3, I've never known a life without him. Apart from the essential things like food and a roof over my head. In every year I've been alive, he has got me clothes, leant me money, been to every school show I've been in even if it was a 2 second part, supported my dreams, paid for clubs I enjoyed and was a shoulder to cry on when life was hard. I got into a car crash, and even though he planned to use his bonus to pay of some debts, he used his bonus to get me a new car so I could get to work and drive my daughter places.

A father is not blood, a father is someone who steps up to the role and loves you unconditionally. That's the father everyone deserves.

I never knew what I wanted as a minor. I was consumed by an obsession to make my father love me. Once I turned 18, I finally realized I don't want to chase something that I already have with someone else. However, it was too late. I don't want it to be too late and there are going to be tons of people in similar or worse situations than me.

Please help me to make a positive change for people who have stepparents they want to be adopted by.