KIDS..KIDS..AND MORE KIDS.

I often wonder how I should answer the question "How many children do you have?" It used to be fairly simple. Three sons, Tuck, Greg and Robin and our daughter Channa. Then we decided that Channa needed someone to play with since the three boys had each other. So, we applied to DCFS for a Foster Parent License. Soon, we were asked if we would take Brenda a seven year old. Perfect! Channa was seven years old. The plan was to have Brenda visit with us a few times before she was placed in our home. The girls hit it off and soon Brenda became a part of our family.She enrolled in Franklin Grade School in the same grade as Channa. The teacher noticed that Brenda started answering the questions directed to Channa trying to help her. They wanted dresses alike. Soon, people would ask them if they were twins and they would answer "No, we're seven months apart". That raised some eyebrows!We learned that Brenda was one of six children whose mother was killed on a snowy night
in February in Urbana when Brenda was eight months old. Her siblings were sent to Cunninham Childrens Home but because of her age Brenda was placed in the Foster Care System. Her foster mother decided to retire so that was when Brenda was placed in our home. More on the life and times of Brenda later but to tell you about some of our other children. Two boys were in our home for a few years. Their mother left their father with 8 boys. He was able to care for the two oldest but the other six went to foster homes. Later we decided to try emergency home care. We had the police call us once and ask us if we would take two little boys whose father had crashed into a squad car while DUI. They brought the boys out. When DCFS heard about they were upset. The police asked them if they would have called us and when DCFS said "yes" the police said "We
just eliminated the middle man" One day I had a call from DCFS and was asked if we would take a 3 year old girl. I said we would. They then asked if we would take her mother too? When our oldest son joined the US NAVY or "Uncle Sam's Canue Club " as he calls it, he called back while he was in basic training and asked if anyone was in his bed yet? I have a lot of stories I could tell but the most memorable was the time we had our four, Brenda, the two boys when DCFS called and wanted to know if we would take a 4 year old boy whose parents had marital problems and needed a place for "Butch". Then later that night we had a call and wanted to know if we could take a nine year old girl and her 7 year old sister. The parents had gone out of town and left them with an uncle who had molested them. So we had our 4, Brenda, the two boys, Butch, and the two sisters. The States Attorney was out to talk to the little girls about the molestation.After he left, our son Greg was having stomach problems and it sure looked like an appendix attack to me so he had to be taken to the hospital. I called DCFS and explained the emergency. They
were baffled at what to do. They would have to find homes for nine kids. They decided that the best thing to do would bring in a "homemaker" to stay with all the kids at our house. Oh it was HEY DAY for the kids. They told her all kinds of things. "Mom lets us fill the tub to the top" "Mom said we could have twinkies before bed" "No special bedtime" After that episode I was "on guard" The local grocer told me "If you ever need anything, just call. I don't care if it is 2:00 AM. so, when someone asks or for a Mothers Day event, How should I answer that question? 4..5..or 25 !