"We adopted Amaya and Andrew, I always describe it as this angel that fell out of the sky, because he was a little unexpected," Mariska Hargitay recalled.
Mariska Hargitay made a rare appearance alongside her three children at the 2023 Stuttering Association for the Young Benefit Gala on Monday, May 22. She has one biological son and two adoptive children, together with her husband, American actor Peter Hermann. August 16, Andrew, 11, and Amaya, 12, attended the special occasion with their parents. The mother of three is no longer afraid to display her children after having a terrible time with the adoption procedure according to PEOPLE.
The Can't Hurry Love actor and her dapper husband, Cashmere Mafia actor Hermann offered their support at the event because their son also stutters. “Our son stutters,” shared Hargitay, talking of August, “and it was so beautiful to have this lovely community to introduce him to and learn about it from the experts.” Hargitay highlighted the unfortunate reality that many people who stutter often resort to avoiding speech, substituting words, or opting for silence in order to evade their struggles or conceal their condition.
Hargitay stood with her hand on her daughter Amaya's shoulder while donning a pastel green outfit. Andrew was wearing a similar suit to his father Hermann, and her daughter was dressed in a floral off-shoulder dress. Hermann and Hargitay each put a hand on August's shoulder as he grinned in his blue long-sleeved t-shirt between his parents.
Hermann and Hargitay had tied the knot 18 years back. In 2006, the actress gave birth to August. In 2011, Hermann and Hargitay adopted Amaya and Andrew, who were born six months apart. Hargitay talked openly about the couple's plan to adopt in an interview with PEOPLE previously. However, the process of adoption was not an easy one for the couple. "I'm not gonna lie," she said to Good Housekeeping. "There were wrenching moments. I say to everybody, 'Adoption is not for the faint of heart.' "
The actress who has portrayed Lieutenant Olivia Benson in Law & Order: SVU for the last 23 years said, "I never thought I would have this much laughter in my life. Not just actual laughter but also the way that Mariska is just the embodiment of laughter — of joy." Sharing about her journey of becoming a mom she continued, "Having lost my mom at a young age, I then grew up with my stepmom, and I have half-siblings, and so I know that families can be built in all sorts of different ways, that there isn't just one way to create a family and that it isn't just about biology."
"We adopted Amaya and Andrew, I always describe it as this angel that fell out of the sky, because he was a little unexpected. It's something that happened very quickly when adoption can take a long time. We were so beautifully and surprisingly… not because we're not in sync, but surprisingly in sync about something so huge. So momentous," Hargitay added.
References:
https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-peter-hermann-pose-all-3-kids-rare-outing-7501744
https://people.com/tv/mariska-hargitay-peter-hermann-secret-to-long-lasting-marriage/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jamie McCarthy
