Dads Provide Forever Home To 6 Siblings Who Were Separated In Foster Care

Jun 29, 2023 by apost team

When a person grows up with their siblings and has formed an inseparable bond, it’s hard for them to be away from each other, even for a short amount of time. However, it’s a more serious conversation when they are being sent away to foster care as their parents can’t properly take care of them anymore.

This is what happened to six lovely children who became disconnected from one another, but a ray of hope came along their way as a couple did the unthinkable.

According to Today, Dustin and Daniel Johnson, a married couple who live in Tampa, Florida, tied the knot in 2020. 

When they went out on their first date, the conversation between the two immediately became serious as Dustin opened up about needing to be with a partner who wanted kids. 

Fortunately for him, Daniel agreed, and it was the start of their relationship. After getting married, the pair quickly started going to pre-adoption classes.

Even though they wanted to have children, the couple didn’t want to consider surrogacy as they believed that there were many children who needed a loving home, especially those kids who were part of the LGBTQ+ community that were kicked out of their houses due to their sexualities and gender identities.

At the time when they were scouting for adoption agencies, the Johnsons said they were open to adopting even older children and sibling groups, and the reason behind it was both of them were close with their siblings growing up, and they knew the feeling of being separated from one another.

Finally, in May 2022, the couple made a lifelong commitment to adopting six siblings who were under the guardianship of five different foster homes; they have been jumping from one family into another for over three long years.

Dustin and Daniel ended up welcoming six beautiful children into their lives: Reid, Amiyah, Izayah, Kaelix, Cade, and Roslin, who were ages 3 to 11 at the time of their adoption.

“Daniel and I are both close with our siblings and we knew how much it would hurt to be separated from them when we were growing up,” Dustin said. 

After the adoption process, and all of them were already under the care of legal guardians, the couple had a problem, as taking care of the kids was not easy at first.

One of the hurdles they faced was the kids’ mental health struggles, as they were diagnosed with PTSD after witnessing tragic hardships. There were moments during bedtime when the children experienced night terrors.

The couple also noted how deprived the siblings were when they first came in, as they “never had enough food” to the point that one of them ate around 12 hotdogs.

Even though Dustin and Daniel struggled during the kids’ adjustment period, they finally witnessed some changes after months as they started trusting them.

Finally, in 2023, the couple said their children are “in a much better place these days.”

In order to maintain a healthy mental headspace, the family visits a therapist every week as a group, and four of the six siblings are seeking individual therapy.

In an interview with Good Morning America, the couple celebrated their first Father’s Day in 2023. Daniel noted, “It’s quite an interesting learning experience but I love my babies so much.”

Dustin admitted that “it was a lot” at first, but when the summertime passed and the kids started going to school, the children had a routine, and he was happy for them.

“It’s tremendous to see them flourishing,” the dad added. 

apost.com

What do you think of the lovely couple who made the big move of welcoming the six siblings into their lives? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.