Five siblings under the age of 5 were separated and spread out into different foster homes. That is, until a single dad decided to adopt all of them and keep them under one roof.
Lamont Thomas of Buffalo, New York, has been a foster parent to more than 30 children over the past 19 years. But when he learned about this particular group of young siblings who were separated, he felt he had to do something. And that something was to adopt them.
Lamont had actually “retired” from being a foster parent, so he had to reapply as one before he could do anything else. Those children he wanted to bring together were 5-year-old Zendaya; 4-year-old Jamel; 3-year-old Nakia; 2-year-old Major; and 1-year-old Michaela. Lamont was very emotional this past October when he sat before the judge to adopt the young children.
Says Lamont: “I was fighting to keep back the tears. Every day I think about it, my eyes swell up. All that we endured to make this happen, it was something.”
Lamont, who has two biological children, had adopted four other children before he retired. He said he just didn’t see this one with the five siblings coming.
Says Lamont: “In the beginning, I was helping out some friends. They had lost their child to the system. I went on and got certified and became a foster parent. I haven’t stopped since.”
Many of those children he previously adopted are all grown up now, and they are very proud of the loving father who was there for them. They describe him as a man who would never turn anyone away and someone who has plenty of love to give to many.
Says Lamont of his most recent adoptions: “They bring new energy to me. They’re lovable kids, very affectionate. They deserve to be raised as siblings, and that was my fight.”
And it sounds like a fight where Lamont AND those children were definitely the winners.