By Leah Wade, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates 

November is National Adoption Month, which acknowledges adoption’s importance in many families’ lives. The goal of foster care is to reunite children with their parents; when that is not an option, alternatives for permanency are pursued, like adoption. The Children’s Bureau reported that in Kentucky in 2021, 2,453 children are awaiting adoption following the termination of parental rights. In Kentucky, adoption can be pursued through private foster care agencies, adoption agencies, or the Department of Community Based Services.

The Smith Family

The Smith family of Louisville, Kentucky, can identify the importance of adoption and is grateful for its role in their family’s narrative. Raychelle and Ebony Smith became licensed foster parents after desiring to grow their family in 2015 with a private foster care agency, Omni Visions Inc., in Louisville.

The First Adoption

In February 2017, they accepted their first foster placement of twin boys. The boys had visits with their siblings, and six months after their placement, the Smiths were asked to take the boys’ 2-year-old sister. Six months after her placement, the Smiths also accepted the placement of the twins’ little brother. The two joke that they went from zero children to four in just 12 months. The four siblings were adopted in 2020. 

The Second Adoption

In 2021, a child welfare worker approached them about the placement of a 12-year-old girl who was going to be adoptable but was struggling to process being adopted. The Smiths agreed to have her in their home to help her process her trauma, feel the security of a family, and prepare her to be adopted in the future. When it came time for discussion with her child welfare team surrounding moving to an adoptive home, they could feel the teen’s energy shift and see a change in her. The Smiths recognized that this girl had become part of their family, home, and life. The two adopted their oldest daughter in 2022. 

Sharing Their Reflections

Now a family of 7, they recently closed their foster home but are still engaged in the foster care community and supportive of the adoption process. The Smiths articulate that their family’s story’s greater purpose is to show hope to other families and advocate for the thousands of children awaiting adoption. The Smith’s adoption story emphasizes the importance of taking sibling groups and teenagers, whom the state may have a more difficult time finding placements for. 

When asked about how they processed accepting a bigger placement of siblings than they originally anticipated, the couple explained that they did not want to separate their children from their “security blankets” or add another traumatic event to their children’s stories. They emphasized the importance of keeping siblings together. 

Raychelle said they processed taking four siblings through the lens of: “We have siblings too, so to sit there and know ‘you’re not being with your sister or your brother anymore’ and how hard that would be and difficult it would feel.”

When considering caring for pre-teens or teens, Raychelle provided the following advice: “Lead with friendship and remember that you were a teenager. They need more of the mentorship of a friend.” Ebony reiterated, “Lead by example and be mindful that you model consistency for them.” The two explain that following through on their word and being a listening friend to their oldest daughter has proven to be the greatest asset in their parenting. 

Importance of National Adoption Month

When asked about why National Adoption Month is important, the Smiths explained that it is crucial that awareness is brought to the children waiting to be adopted and that everyone can play a role. The couple highlighted the importance of mentoring, understanding the issues in one’s neighborhood, and how everyone can be a voice in their communities. 

The Smiths also articulated that if someone is in the midst of the adoption process to be reminded, “You’re right where you’re supposed to be.” They wish someone would have said those words to them on the challenging days when everything seemed out of their control. When they reminisce on the start, it reminds them that this is where they should be. 

The Smith family is a picture of adoption’s impact on children’s lives. National Adoption Month is a time for each person to recognize the part they can play in advocating for permanency in the lives of Kentucky’s children.