Those who choose to foster children are the unsung heroes of the world. To step in and parent and love a child that you know might be leaving you soon must not be an easy emotional weight to bear.
But fostering was an endeavor one Wisconsin mother welcomed. Many thought she was crazy to take in six foster kids on top of her own, but given her past, she knew she had to. Still, it was how she treated the kids that had everyone in town talking…
It’s a startling and unfortunate fact: According to the Adoption Network, “about 428,000 children are currently in foster care in the United States and more than 114,000 cannot be returned to their families.” Wow.
Many of those children also end up on the wrong side of the law since they really don’t have a parental role model to help guide them through life. One woman from Wisconsin was determined to help change things.
When Jessica was 12 years old, her mother lost custody of her, and she was placed in foster care. She hoped a family would quickly take her in, but one of the social workers gave her unfortunate news.
He told Jessica very bluntly that because she was almost a teenager, adoption wasn’t going to be easy. The majority of couples looking to adopt want infants so they can raise them for their whole lives.
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Determined not to let the difficulties of adoption slow her life progress, Jessica enrolled in college when she turned 18. She eventually earned her degree, but there was always a void in her life.
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Eventually, she had two children of her own, a son named Eli and daughter named Brenna, with her ex-husband. Like any parent, her kids were her world, but she also had her hands full with something else.
She was actually fostering six additional children, which meant she had a household with eight kids running around. Yea, things were often hectic, but Jessica loved it. Most people couldn’t handle it, but Jessica had her own personal reasons.
To return the favor from her adoptive parents was the biggest reason she showed so much generosity with the six siblings she was fostering. Like her, they were without loving role models to help them grow into respectable adults.
Facebook / Jessica Benzakein
Plus, the Milwaukee resident knew all about how frustrating any adoption process can quickly become. At first, excitement is abound, but legal issues can always swoop in and screw things up. She kept the kids’ expectations steady, hopeful, and realistic.
Facebook / Jessica Benzakein
Amazingly, the six kids got along perfectly with Jessica’s two biological children, which couldn’t have worked out better. In fact, she saw the kids as her own, so she made a massive decision.
Facebook / Jessica Benzakein
She brought the whole family down to the courthouse one afternoon with the appropriate paperwork in an attempt to legally adopt all six kids, making her child count a whopping eight! Of course, she wasn’t sure if she could make it happen.
Facebook / Jessica Benzakein
Naturally, it’s always a bit nerve-wracking going into a court hearing like this in case things don’t pan out the way you hope. But, Jessica kept her fingers crossed that the judge would make the right decision.
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The case was so popular the local news outlets were set up to film the entire thing. It wasn’t every day a mother wanted to quadruple the amount of children she had, but Jessica wasn’t your average mother.
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The session went perfectly, the judge fell in love with the kids just as Jessica did, and he granted her full legal custody. As you can imagine, there were hugs and high-fives all around the courtroom.
Facebook / Jessica Benzakein
After the flowing tears of joy were wiped away (that took a while to happen), Jessica and her new legal children posed for a fantastic photo at the head of the courtroom where her dream came true.
Facebook / Jessica Benzakein
That wasn’t the only place where she felt the full support of those around her. During a Milwaukee Bucks NBA game, Jessica was recognized during halftime for being an “everyday hero.”
Life was business as usual for the Benzakein family, except now all eight children were actually theirs. Even though it didn’t physically feel different, every day was made a little more special.
Twitter / Jessica Benzakein
Jessica said, “Everybody tells me how lucky these kids are and what a good thing I did. But… they grounded me. I went through my 20s thinking I didn’t really need a family. But I did. They give me purpose.”
What Jessica did for those six boys was something most couldn’t even imagine. It’s never easy to bring older kids into an already established family, but with the power love, anything can happen.