Cincinnati, OH — Meet Robert Carter, a single man from Ohio, who is now the legal father of five children he chose to adopt. While waiting for the adoption process to be approved, he worked hard to buy a new home for his new family.“I’m relieved because I tried to go through the process before and it didn’t work out, but now I’m just happy that it’s over and I’m their dad for the rest of their life, and they know that they’ll never have to go through what they went through again,” Carter told FOX19.
Carter started fostering the 3 brothers Robert Jr., Giovanni, and Kiontae in December 2019. Their 2 sisters, however, Marionna and Makayla, remained in the foster system and the siblings had been separated for six months.
“We met up for visits, and all the kids were crying,” Carter said. “They didn’t want to leave each other, and at that moment, I knew, ok, I have to adopt all five.”
Having grown up in foster care himself, Carter knew firsthand how hard it was to be separated from siblings.
He continues, “My mom had nine kids, and I didn’t see my youngest again. He was two. I didn’t see him again until he was 16, so for me going through that, I knew how important it is for them to see each other and be around each other. When I had my boys before I got the girls, that’s all they talked about was their sisters.”
Last Friday, he was officially approved by the court to adopt all five siblings. Adoption case manager Stacey Barton said she believes the family will be happy together since she had seen them.
“I’ve never had a single father adopt five children,” Barton said. “I’ve had married couples who have adopted six or seven, so this was a unique experience for me. Children need families, and it’s an opportunity for Mr. Carter to show the community that he can do it and others can too.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help the family secure “a new forever home where the kids can grow into our next future leaders.” It has already raised more than $35,000.