AdamParker.org

Life with 5 Kids

Filed under: Adoption, Justice

You may or may not know this, but Stephanie and I recently brought 3 kids into our home. This has been such a roller coaster journey through the grand canyon and back, but well worth it. My wife is a champion Mom. She amazes me at how she is able to manage, encourage, and raise up 5 kids as well as teaching at the Daniel Academy AND homeschooling David and Manuel. She wrote a little about the last 6 weeks and I wanted to share that with you here.

Manuel, 6, Gerardo, 4 and Dana 2 came into our home 6 weeks ago. The beginning of their time here was very challenging. They weren’t used  to structure or discipline or bedtime and those three things are huge  parts of our family life. So, needless to say, the first couple of weeks held a lot of battle of wills. Overtime though the kids grew to not only obey our house rules, most of the time, but to actually enjoy the rules and the structure we have in place. They thrive on living within a schedule and we have seen much progress.

Manuel came to us very behind in school, but I have been homeschooling and he is making steady strides to catch up. He is also opening up and receiving our love more readily. Gerardo came to us hungry for attention and when we showered it upon he turned into this amazing  outgoing little boy who is the life of the party, A.K.A our house.  Dana was prone to many tempers in a day, but now her attitude is much more obedient and she is starting to really let her personality shine.  She loves to be girly and often has a half dozen hair clips in her hair and gets very upset if she isn’t wearing her favorite shoes and dress. Unfortunately, the 4 boys have their G.I.Joe’s attack her doll house, so her girliness is often thwarted by the boys. David is loving being the oldest. He is trying hard to be an example and all the kids are lucky to have him for a big brother. Noah, who has always been super social, has taken it to another level with these kids. He is loving the interaction with all his brothers and sister. Life to him is one big play date. Not everything is perfect and easy taking in 3 kids and going to a family of 5 overnight, but the positive far outweigh the negative and we love having these children in our home!

- Stephanie

Tags: adoption, Family, foster care, Justice