Raising kids takes a lot of work, but it’s all worth it when you have a house full of love.
Sadly though, not all children have a warm place to call home. That’s why it’s fortunate there are kindhearted people in this world like one Wisconsin mom, who opened her doors to six boys.
Jessica Benzakein was a single mother of two when she adopted six kids, becoming a wonderful mom of eight.
She told TMJ4 News: “I need them. They keep me grounded.”
Jessica Benzakein was only 12 years old when she first went to foster care. It was devastating for her when her own mother surrendered her to the state. Aside from this, she was also separated from her brother.
Jessica told TODAY Parents what she remembers her case worker Ron saying:
“He said, ‘If adoption is your plan A, you are too old.’ And he wasn’t saying it to be mean. His point was, if your plan A is to be adopted, you don’t fit what people are looking for.”
She knew what Ron meant. She was alone, sad, and she longed for a family.
For years, young Jessica spent her life in foster care until she was able to go to college. She knew what it felt like, but didn’t expect that the experience would help her to help others.
“In Wisconsin alone, we have over 7,000 foster kids,” Benzakein said in her interview with TODAY. “The number of sibling sets is crazy high, and they’re often broken up.”
That’s the reason why she signed up to foster two groups of siblings. She didn’t want these kids to be separated. She knew it was hard.
Will, Carter, Sidney, and Markell “Buddy,” are all siblings by blood. She also took in Kendrich and Terrel “T.J.” They are also biological brothers.
These six beautiful children were embraced by Jessica’s biological children Eli and Brenna. Together, since 2015, their house became happier. T.J. was still a baby when he came to Jessica’s home.
Though, she always knew she needed to finalize everything. She wanted it to be legal. That’s the reason why she finally decided to adopt all 6 children so they could finally have a forever home. At the time, the children ranged in age from 18 to 4.
“Everybody tells me how lucky these kids are and what a good thing I did,” Jessica Benzakein told TODAY Parents. “But … I’m going to cry … they grounded me. I went through my 20’s thinking I didn’t really need a family. But I did. They give me purpose.”
For Jessica, these children are her blessings. They made her whole, they made her family happier and complete. To her, seeing these children together, having a family to call their own is also her happiness.
This is something that she longed for when she was in foster homes, and now, she was able to give it to these children.
“We have fun here. It’s total chaos in a good way,” she said to TODAY. “They have a safe place where they can screw up and make mistakes and laugh and joke and poke fun of each other.”
These children now have a family to call their own. A home together with their siblings and that they will never have to feel lonely again.
“We’ve been living like a family for a long time,” Benzakein happily said. “But now, no one can tell us we’re not.”
Jessica and her beautiful children’s story has warmed hearts all across the nation. Hopefully, it inspires others to consider fostering/adopting sibling groups as well.
Watch the video below to see more on this soul-boosting story!
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