Christopher and Ronnie waited to fulfill their dreams of growing their family through adoption until they knew how to go about finding the children in their community who needed families. It was important to them that they adopt children in their own community who were in need of a forever home.
One day, Christopher learned about the Foster Care Adoption program at Children’s Home Society of Minnesota from a local television show. The program works specifically with children who have been removed from their biological parent’s home and placed in foster care due to issues with drug addiction, abuse or neglect. Christopher knew it was time to take action.
What they found working with Children’s Home surprised them. They expected hard challenges and heartbreak through the adoption process – instead they were greeted with ease and speed. The initial part of the process requiring them to become foster parents took just over a year. “We were only licensed for four weeks when we were matched with our kids’,” said Ronnie. “From the day we had our first meeting to the day the kids moved in, only took two and a half weeks.” Five months later, their adoption was finalized.
Four-year-old Michael and 3-year-old Adrian, biological brothers, had been in foster care for two years before they moved in with Christopher and Ronnie. “They are energetic, active and they are amateur wrestlers,” Christopher joked. “They are inseparable. When people see them play together they comment that they seem like twins.”
The brothers had some catching up to do – learning the basics like colors – when they first came to Christopher and Ronnie, but they quickly made progress. “They are academically performing on par
or above,” said Christopher.
Christopher and Ronnie also had an easy adjustment to life with kids. This energetic family lives their days filled with fun interactive activities like going to the zoo or chasing their ducks and cats at home. “This is a normal week for us,” said Ronnie. “It’s kind of funny, we just sort of picked up where we left off. Things just take a lot longer now.”
“People don’t realize how doable this is. Especially for those who may have turned down the idea of adoption because of the cost factor, or time,” said Christopher. “There are kids right in our community, whose lives could be changed if you decide to do the Foster Care Adoption program.”
Meet Waiting Children
