Fifteen years ago a mother gave birth to two boys. Mom’s life was in shambles; she was on drugs, in an abusive situation, wasn’t able to hold a job, and had an unclean place to live. Her significant other was also an addict and wasn’t keeping a job for long. Their relationship was tumultuous and no place for two sweet babies.

Child protection services knew this, too. The two twin boys were immediately placed in foster care.

The twin boys were brought to a family who had two older children, a girl and a boy. The father worked in engineering and the mother left an accounting job to raise the children. Although not a perfect family, their life was stable and their home was open to more children.

This family loved the two boys and immediately accepted them. As with any child in foster care, the birthparents still had rights. This included the foster family bringing the children to see their mother for visitations. The birthmother was to take steps to change her situation and had milestones she was expected to meet. Upon failing these milestones one too many times, the twins were placed into permanent custody with this family of four that had grown to love them.

The family pursued the steps to adopt the boys, and by their fifth birthday the boys had a forever family!

The family continued to have a relationship with the birthmother, allowing the twins to visit when she was stable. The boys are happy, well-adjusted teens today and have a uniquely different relationship with their birthmother and their adopted parents.

Ask the boys and they’ll say, “We love our forever family that adopted us! They treat us just like their birth children. And, we see our biological mom often!”