Stepdaughter asks to be officially adopted
Every man can get children, but not every man can be a father.
— Source unknown
Ben Jamieson got his Father's Day gift early this year.
It arrived on New Year's Day, the day his stepdaughter, Erica Zanicky, 23, asked Jamieson to adopt her.
Tuesday's adoption ceremony in a Butler County courtroom was the culmination of a process that began when Jamieson met Erica's mother, Michelle.
Erica said Jamieson and her mother, Michelle, started dating in 1999 when Erica was 5 and her brother, Martin was 3.
They were married in 2001.
“He has been my stepdad going on 16 years,” she said.
She's taken this action in appreciation, Erica said.
“It's mostly just that my stepdad has stepped in for my father. He helped me pay for school and got me to where I am now. I see him more as a dad,” said Erica about her decision.
She said, “I asked to be adopted, and I made him an extra Christmas card. It was a card that said 'It's a girl.'
“And there was a pint glass that I had made that said 'World's Best Dad' and there was a picture frame that said 'You have always been my dad, can I be your official daughter?'”
“He was kind of thrown off by the card, but then he realized what was happening,” Erica said.
Jamieson, of Meridian, who is the senior vice president, communities district manager, for the 12 Northwest Bank branches in Western Pennsylvania, said, “She was very passionate about it, and it was her idea.
“I love the gesture, but I don't need a legal piece of paper to say it was official but she was very passionate about it.”Erica, an Evans City resident, said, “I guess the biggest reason I am doing this is it's just something I feel he deserves.”“He met my mom when he was 26 and she was 35 with two kids,” she said, “and he instantly fell into the daddy role.”For example, Erica said, once when she was young, the family went to the Butler Farm Show. She wanted to ride one of the spinning rides.Jamieson said, “I wouldn't ride it because spinning rides make me sick.”But since he didn't want Erica to ride by herself he rode with her. He ended up throwing up after he got off and was sick for three days.“He made sure we were in Boy and Girl Scouts. He would go to our classes and talk about what he did for career day,” she said.Erica added, “He helped me get my first car and the other two cars and he helped me with school. He instantly stepped into the daddy role.”“I am not doing this adoption to go against my biological father. I'm doing it to make it a permanent part of my life with Ben being a part of it so much,” she said.Jamieson's attorney, Wesley Hamilton, said, “It's a neat thing to do. Erica has a right to do this.”Hamilton said he's handled adoption cases before but never for a prospective adoptee this old.The hearing on the petition of adoption lasted nearly 20 minutes.Judge S. Michael Yeager quizzed Erica on whether her biological father had been informed of her action and had given his consent.He asked whether Ben Jamieson had provided support and love and affection during the years she lived under his roof. She answered yes.“Is it your desire that the court grant this adoption?” Yeager asked.“It is,” Erica answered.Yeager asked Ben Jamieson if it was his intention to grant Erica the same rights as a natural born child of his. He answered yes.
When questioned, Jamieson noted her brother, Martin, had chosen not to seek an adoption.Yeager asked Michelle Jamieson. “Are you a participant in this decision? Do you desire Ben Jamieson to be the adoptive father of your daughter?”She answered yes.Yeager granted the motion and Jamieson went from stepfather to father in the eyes of the law.“When the adoptee is a minor this is done much more informally,” said Hamilton. “It's done in the judge's chambers. It's personal and private. I think the judge wanted the record established with this hearing.”Outside the courtroom, Erica and Jamieson hugged. Erica blinked back tears.There was one more legality.Erica Christine Zanicky is legally changing her name to Erica Quinn Jamieson.“I've always wanted to name something,” Ben Jamieson said.“He picked the middle name Quinn. He's a big comic book nerd. He wanted his own Harley Quinn,” Erica said.Jamieson admitted to being a comics fan but denied the Joker's girlfriend played any role in the name choice.He said he chose the name because it was unusual.Hamilton said the name change could be made official as early as August.Erica said she would be getting the new name placed on her college diploma and birth certificate.“This whole thing is very amazing. Being a stepfather has been very rewarding,” Jamieson said. “I never considered myself a dad.”“I would never ask the children to do it for me but she was so passionate about it and I was delighted to be a part of it,” he added.“It has been in the last two years when Erica and I have gotten closer,” he said. “She has grown up, graduated from college. I did not intervene in her getting a job. But I helped her get ready for the job process because I interview a lot of people and I was able to prepare her and get her ready for the interviews,” he said.“Erica and I are closer now than we have ever been, that's a fact.”He acknowledged this wasn't always the case.Jamieson said, “She was a very independent child, which could make for a challenge when she was young, but she has really gotten to the point where we value each other very much.”Michelle Jamieson said, “Erica has really stepped up. In this case, a step-parent is really recognized for what they do. There are a lot of step-parents out there.”“He deserves to be her dad in every sense of the word and I support that,” Michelle Jamieson said.Erica Jamieson said. “I don't think I will really see anything being a big change. It's a natural thing. He's been such a big part of my life.“This is the way it's always been. It makes it official,” she added.
