Finally, he decided that the only solution he could offer was one that would keep them together permanently.
He adopted all five.
More Than an Adoption Story
At first glance, this is a story about a single father adopting five children.
But at its heart, it is a story about the importance of relationships.
It is about what happens when an adult recognizes a child's fear because he once experienced the same fear.
It is about the difference between simply providing temporary care and making a long-term commitment.
And it is about five siblings who, after spending time apart, were given the opportunity to grow up together.
Carter's story also demonstrates why sibling relationships receive so much attention in child-welfare policy and research. Federal guidance recognizes that siblings can provide continuity and emotional support, particularly during periods of instability. When children cannot be placed together, maintaining meaningful contact is considered important. Child Welfare Information Gateway
For Carter, that principle was not something he learned from a government document.
He learned it as a child.
He learned it through absence.
He learned it through years of wondering about siblings he could not see.
And eventually, he had the opportunity to give five children a different experience.
Five Children, One Home
On October 30, 2020, the legal process was complete.
Marionna, Robert, Makayla, Giovanni and Kiontae became Carter's children.
But perhaps the most meaningful part of the story was not the legal definition of their new family.
It was the simple fact that the five siblings were together.
They could wake up in the same house.
They could see one another every day.
They could celebrate milestones together.
They could grow older knowing where their brothers and sisters were.
And they could build memories that would belong to all five of them.
Carter had once been a child separated from his siblings.
Now he was an adult making sure that another group of siblings would not have to experience the same thing.
His story does not suggest that foster care or adoption is simple. It does not erase the difficult circumstances that brought the children into care, nor does it represent every family's experience.
What makes the story remarkable is the personal connection between Carter's past and his decision.
He knew the pain.
He remembered the separation.
And when he saw five children facing a similar possibility, he decided to change their story.
A young man who once grew up wondering when he would see his siblings again eventually became the father who made sure five children would not have to ask that question.
He did not simply adopt five children. He gave five siblings the chance to grow up as siblings.
And for a family that had already experienced separation, that may have been the most important gift of all.
Sources
- ABC News — “Single dad who grew up in foster care adopts 5 siblings” — contemporary 2020 reporting on Carter's adoption, the five children and his foster-care history.
- CBS News — “A former foster kid, now a dad himself, helps keep a family together by adopting 5 siblings” — 2023 follow-up on Carter and the family.
- Child Welfare Information Gateway — “Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption” — federal child-welfare research and guidance on sibling relationships.
- Child Welfare Information Gateway — “Reunification From Foster Care: A Guide for Parents” — federal guidance concerning sibling placement and ongoing contact.
- ACF Child and Family Services Reviews — “Promoting and Maintaining Family Relationships and Connections” — federal review findings concerning sibling placement and visitation.
- FOX19 Cincinnati — “Single father adopts five children on Adoption Day” — local reporting from Cincinnati on the October 2020 adoption.