Family Grows by 6 Kids in One Year
Making the transition into parenthood is a challenge for all couples — but it was a particular shock to the system for Kenley and Calyn Stringer, who went from zero to six kids in just a single year.
STORY: In Praise of ‘Duck Dynasty’ Clan’s Adoption of Teen Son
“We went from a quiet house with just the two of us to all this crazy,” Kenley, a real-estate agent in Tallahassee, Fla., told the Tallahassee Democrat this week. He told the story of how he and his wife, who had been foster parents, had a uniquely sudden entry into raising a brood: After many frustrating months of trying to adopt and getting nowhere, Calyn, who teaches English as a second language, discovered she was pregnant — only to learn, shortly thereafter, of four foster siblings between the ages of 2 and 7 who were looking for a forever home. And so, despite already expecting, the couple — determined to see the siblings stay together — welcomed them.
The Stringer family. (Photo: Julie Alley Photography)
“Our house was already pretty kid-friendly because we’d had a foster son who was 3,” Calyn said. Still, they were granted custody of the four kids before even meeting them and had only had nine days to get their home in order — a deadline that sent them scrambling to buy a minivan and bunk beds, and eventually moving into a bigger house with a pool and trampoline.
STORY: Two Dads Adopt Their Seventh Child, a Gay Teen
They met their new kids — Eric, Dale, Brittan, and Maya — for the first time while sharing a meal in a Chick-Fil-A. “I said, ‘Our names are Kenley and Calyn, but do you know why we’re here?’” Kenley recalled. “[Eric] said no and we said, ‘We’re going to invite you to come live with us. How do you feel about that?’ and he said ‘good.’ I said, ‘Then you can call us mom and dad,’ and he said, ‘Okay.’”
The Stringer kids. (Photo: Julie Alley Photography)
After they came to live with them, Calyn added, “We had this mad rush of taking them to doctors, collecting paperwork to get them all settled in and enrolled in school.”
The siblings still had an infant sister, Kiki, awaiting approval to be adopted — and she, too, joined the family four months after Calyn gave birth to her son, Benjamin. The Stringers call her the “last piece of the puzzle” in their extensive family, which has been happy and busy with activities including family vacations, attending a college basketball game, and lots and lots of play time, according to mom’s Facebook page.
“We try to tell people, ‘yeah it can be difficult, but it’s worth it,'” Calyn said. “It’s so needed, and when we think about our kids and where they could’ve ended up, it can be scary.”
(Top photo: Julie Alley Photography)
Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.
