Meet Jessica, Dedicated to Keeping Siblings Together 

“Did we think we would get triplets on the first shot?” Jessica says, recalling how she felt when she got a call about three little boys who needed a home. “Well, no,” she continues with a laugh.

Jessica admits that she and her husband were blindsided by the request to take in multiple kids, but they also saw it as an opportunity to “go big or go home”, so they took placement of the boys when they were very young. She also felt a responsibility because she knew the odds of the brothers being kept together were slim if she didn’t take them.

Typical Boys

The three boys are like many other 4-year-olds. They like to color, watch cartoons and play with their current obsessions: trains, cars and trucks. One of the boys gets a little cranky, occasionally letting out a whine for attention, when he’s in his car seat. “(The boys) can be a lot to handle,” she says, but she later adds, “That’s just how kids are.”

Having one preschooler is hard enough and multiplied by three, Jessica constantly has her hands full. But it was always likely that she would welcome siblings into her home. When she got her foster parent license, she knew the importance of keeping siblings together and made it clear she was open to a sibling group.

“Their lives are already disrupted so much,” she says. “If you take them away from their siblings as well, that throws another wrench in the situation.”

Inspired and Supported

“I’ve always been interested in foster care, even back in high school,” Jessica says. She laughs, at first thinking it’s a little silly, but then she mentions the Freeform original series, The Fosters. “It really sealed the deal,” she says.

The critically acclaimed show is hailed for its representation of families, with the main couple even fostering and adopting two sibling sets in the series. The show was honest and eye-opening, and Jessica appreciated how everything wasn’t always perfect.

Jessica and her husband both have big, loving families too, with a biological 8-month-old baby and lots of siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins on each side. During Christmas, the boys are showered with presents and on regular days, there’s always someone who’s willing to help.

Big Change

The triplets have been in Jessica’s home for half their lives, but recently, some major changes have begun taking shape. The boys went from being with their foster family every day, to having day visits with their birth mom and then overnights every other week. Now, they spend two days a week with Jessica and the rest of the time with their mom.

Jessica acknowledges that it is a difficult transition because the boys have been with her for so long. “As stressful as it is, it’s worth it,” she explains. “Having these three little guys call me momma and depend on me makes it all worth it.” As the transition continues and if reunification does occur, she hopes to work with their birth mom to do what’s best for the boys.

When she thinks about why she’s a foster mom, even though she knows the kids could leave her, Jessica says a meme she once saw describes it best. It read, “I let my heart break so theirs don’t have to.”