28 kids in one family!

[mintlotion]

Has anyone heard about this mega family. They way out number the duggars. I think most of the kids are adopted. Were they on tv at one point?

28blessings.blogspot.com

[EyeQueue]

Has anyone heard about this mega family. They way out number the duggars. I think most of the kids are adopted. Were they on tv at one point?

28blessings.blogspot.com

But, if they're adopted it doesn't count. They need to pass through the Vault of the Holy Womb to be "real" blessings. :roll:

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

I can't imagine how on earth they can care for so many special-needs children. It's just beyond my ability to grasp.

[lilwriter85]

I have never heard of this family before. But I do know about two similar families. One is the Belles-Silcock family in California and the Murphy family in Georgia. The Murphys had four biological children and they adopted 21 special needs children. Two of their adopted children have passed away. The Belles-Silcock family is mostly headed by Ann Belles who has no biological children and has been adopting special needs boys since the 80s. She was married for over 10 years to a quadriplegic named Jim Silcock. They divorced a few years back. The Silcocks had assistants who worked at the home with some of the boys with more severe needs. The Murphy family gets a lot of help from one of their biologica children.

[daisyfern]

I think this family blog is by the Murphy family lilwriter85 was referring to. Here is a news article about their family.

henryherald.com/news/2013/feb/25/28-blessings-murphy-family-cares-special-needs-chi/

[nelliebelle1197]

Four adult bio kids are gone and six have died. So that is only 18 kids. The couple actually spent their careers working with special needs adults, so they probably know what they are doing. And yes, these are the Murphys in Georgia.

[E Street Fan]

I have never heard of this family before. But I do know about two similar families. One is the Belles-Silcock family in California and the Murphy family in Georgia. The Murphys had four biological children and they adopted 21 special needs children. Two of their adopted children have passed away. The Belles-Silcock family is mostly headed by Ann Belles who has no biological children and has been adopting special needs boys since the 80s. She was married for over 10 years to a quadriplegic named Jim Silcock. They divorced a few years back. The Silcocks had assistants who worked at the home with some of the boys with more severe needs. The Murphy family gets a lot of help from one of their biologica children.

The Silcocks and their son Barry, who has since died, were on an episode of Adoption Stories on TLC. I used to watch it every morning when I got ready for work, so I saw that episode three or four times.

I remember an article from years back about a couple--a pediatrician and a SAHM--in Florida who adopted multiple special-needs kids. I think the woman's name was Camille. Anybody remember them? She was morbidly obese then, but I think she got to a healthy weight later on.

[lilwriter85]

The Silcocks and their son Barry, who has since died, were on an episode of Adoption Stories on TLC. I used to watch it every morning when I got ready for work, so I saw that episode three or four times.

I remember an article from years back about a couple--a pediatrician and a SAHM--in Florida who adopted multiple special-needs kids. I think the woman's name was Camille. Anybody remember them? She was morbidly obese then, but I think she got to a healthy weight later on.

I also saw the Adoption Stories episode about Barry. The Silcocks lost another son Justin a few years later. He died of renal failure.

[TheJewAmongUs]

I remember an article from years back about a couple--a pediatrician and a SAHM--in Florida who adopted multiple special-needs kids. I think the woman's name was Camille. Anybody remember them? She was morbidly obese then, but I think she got to a healthy weight later on.

Camille and Michael Geraldi. Here's an old article about them from 1991 and a link to their foundation.

people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20063455,00.html

possibledream.org

[ILoveJellybeans]

I think theres a limit to how many kids that a family can love and look after properly. 28 is past that limit for anyone, at this point the only difference between their family and an orphanage is that theyre related.

Its just unfair on the kids to be in such a large family, especially if they all have special needs and need more attention than most kids.

[OkToBeTakei]

I think theres a limit to how many kids that a family can love and look after properly. 28 is past that limit for anyone, at this point the only difference between their family and an orphanage is that theyre related.

Its just unfair on the kids to be in such a large family, especially if they all have special needs and need more attention than most kids.

From her bio it says that she and her husband worked with adults with special needs and found it incredibly rewarding. They wanted to transfer their skills to children and attempted to open a foster home which due to some financial/red tape issues failed.

It appears to me this is what they actually have done, whilst calling it a family. I just watched a video of her kids dancing. They were brilliant!!

[crad08]

Long time lurker, first time poster. This family was the subject of a Lifetime Movie. A Mom gave birth to twins, one with Down Syndrome, and wanted to place the DS child with the Murphys for adoption. Birthmom's family was not happy. News article here:http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-10-31/features/1993304184_1_murphy-tennis-shoes-cody Don't think I need to break it, please let me know if I do.

[Flossie]

I don't think that links to news articles need to be broken. I think it's only links to personal blogs, and maybe FaceBook pages?

This sounds like an interesting story. Why did the birth parents give up the babies, and why did they separate them?

I'm assuming that they were very young or in poor health. Maybe they just felt that they wouldn't be good parents at that stage of their lives. Did they feel that the grandparents could handle raising a NT child, but it would be too much to ask them to raise a DS child? How did the BP's learn of this family that they asked to raise the DS child?

[bananacat]

I think theres a limit to how many kids that a family can love and look after properly. 28 is past that limit for anyone, at this point the only difference between their family and an orphanage is that theyre related.

Its just unfair on the kids to be in such a large family, especially if they all have special needs and need more attention than most kids.

I completely agree. Yes, the parents have experience in training in caring for children with special needs. But they still don't have the capability to properly care for so many individuals at a time, regardless. They're child collectors just like any Quiverfull family. Honestly, I wouldn't even trust two qualified doctors to care for so many patients 24/7, and that's only regarding physical care.

I've expressed my distaste for people like this before so I won't re-hash it all here, but they don't deserve all the medals and back-pats that everyone is so eager to give them.

[OkToBeTakei]

I completely agree. Yes, the parents have experience in training in caring for children with special needs. But they still don't have the capability to properly care for so many individuals at a time, regardless. They're child collectors just like any Quiverfull family. Honestly, I wouldn't even trust two qualified doctors to care for so many patients 24/7, and that's only regarding physical care.

I've expressed my distaste for people like this before so I won't re-hash it all here, but they don't deserve all the medals and back-pats that everyone is so eager to give them.

You might want to look into staffing numbers at say, Care Homes for Special Needs. Around the world. Or something similar in a residential setting. I seriously doubt anywhere in the world you will find one doctor never mind two doctors on duty unless it is an acute setting ie. Hospital. Resident to staff ratio can be shockingly small. Whilst I do not disagree in any way with what you are saying about child collectors, I would be extremely surprised if by a quick look at her blog if the children she now tends at home would merit more than two to three staff at most. The majority appear high functioning although she mentions two who are incontinent and do not communicate.

Family? They think so. But I think they are just running the foster home they wanted all along. I wonder if they get help?

For example. In the UK with 45 elderly dementia residents of varying needs, both complex nursing and personal care issues. The minimum requirement by law is only one trained nurse and three carers overnight. (I had reason to look this up recently.) Most residential homes are run privately and most where I live surpass the minimum. But it's worth having a look.

Ideally these kids should be in very small groups/families. But 'ideal' is hard to find consistently :(

[E Street Fan]

Camille and Michael Geraldi. Here's an old article about them from 1991 and a link to their foundation.

people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20063455,00.html

possibledream.org

Thanks!

[Marianne]

30 is the maximum number of children allowed in the foster home, here. In mine, we was beetwen 20 and 25.

This is not a family. It is a home, an orphanage, whatever you want, this is not a family. I feel so sad for this children. When you come to a structure as an orphanage, you need lots and lots of attention. You want a lot of attention. It is difficult. Very difficult. So with 28, or even "just" 10 children ?

[BlondeAgent007]

For a lot of these kids, though, they would end up bouncing around from foster family to foster family, without a consistent school or faces in their lives. At least with these people, they have some stabiility. Not saying it's right, but at least they have place to put down roots.

I much prefer Susan Tom, the matriarch of the family in My Flesh and Blood (documentary). I believe she has 13 children. 2 Bio, 2 adopted without special needs, the rest with varying degrees of illness and special needs across the spectrum. 3 of her children died from their diseases at this point. Only one that I know of has mental disabilities, the rest will probably be fully functioning adults. The documentary is on youtube I believe, and I highly recommend it.

[Marianne]

For a lot of these kids, though, they would end up bouncing around from foster family to foster family, without a consistent school or faces in their lives. At least with these people, they have some stabiility. Not saying it's right, but at least they have place to put down roots.

.

I have had this life, foster home and foster family and foster home and foster family, etc... . Okay, stability is good. Even in a bad family (because, here, a lot of foster family do it for monney and don't give a f*ck about children). But stability and family life is very very hard. When you don't have the habit of stability, routine, it is very difficult. . There are even children who can't dos this because it is not their life. And to get used to the stability, family life, it takes time and attention. Then, of course, "it's better than nothing", but ...

[crad08]

I don't think that links to news articles need to be broken. I think it's only links to personal blogs, and maybe FaceBook pages?

This sounds like an interesting story. Why did the birth parents give up the babies, and why did they separate them?

I'm assuming that they were very young or in poor health. Maybe they just felt that they wouldn't be good parents at that stage of their lives. Did they feel that the grandparents could handle raising a NT child, but it would be too much to ask them to raise a DS child? How did the BP's learn of this family that they asked to raise the DS child?

Everything that I am about to say is based on what was presented in the movie. The parents only placed the DS child for adoption because they didn't think that they would ever be able to meet his needs. They kept the other twin and had two older children. They were married, of average child bearing age, and weren't outright poor but did sometimes have issues making ends meet. If I remember (the movie) correctly they let the Grandparents keep the DS child for a few months and they didn't do to well. I don't remember how the BP's learned of the Murphy family.

[mintlotion]

For a lot of these kids, though, they would end up bouncing around from foster family to foster family, without a consistent school or faces in their lives. At least with these people, they have some stabiility. Not saying it's right, but at least they have place to put down roots.

I much prefer Susan Tom, the matriarch of the family in My Flesh and Blood (documentary). I believe she has 13 children. 2 Bio, 2 adopted without special needs, the rest with varying degrees of illness and special needs across the spectrum. 3 of her children died from their diseases at this point. Only one that I know of has mental disabilities, the rest will probably be fully functioning adults. The documentary is on youtube I believe, and I highly recommend it.

Wow I watched the entire documentary and it was so sad with Joe at the ending. :cry:

[lilwriter85]

Susan Tom and her family were also on Extreme Home Makeover. As another poster said only one of her kids is mentally disabled and that is Katie. On EHM, there was some mention about Katie being the only one who will likely never live on her own.

[dairyfreelife]

I don't think all 28 children have lived in that house at once. Four died in the first six months of life and two, Jonathon and Nikki, died in childhood. Three of the adult children are out of the home and I think a couple of the older adopted children are not at home either. Others need only mild help. They can't live on their own entirely, but can take care of themselves for the most part. They seem to try very hard for inclusion in the community and they do homeschool, but I can actually understand that idea since I find special education services where I live to be very poor quality. Having done some observations in classrooms and dealing with special education teachers and aides and seeing IEP meetings locally, I am very unhappy with what they offer and how they treat their students and how they speak with the parents of said children as if they idiots. It's like they feel burdened and obligated to "deal" with those children and do the minimum they have to do to get the child through the system and out of their hair. If I ever had a child who was either gifted or had extra needs, especially mentally, I would consider homeschooling as well if I lived in the district I live in now. I know I'm ranting and OT a bit, but I had to vent my frustrations with what I have seen. It may not be like that everywhere, but it could be quite similar where they live and that's why don't use the public education services.

[BlondeAgent007]

Wow I watched the entire documentary and it was so sad with Joe at the ending. :cry:

It really was sad about Joe. He was a very dangerous person, but everybody loved him anyway... he was Susan's son, and their brother. I liked how they showed the beginning scene again later on. At first it just seems like an aggravated preteen (I didn't think he looked 15 when I first started watching). Later on when the segment is replayed (after attempting to sexually assault Katie and watching him verbally abuse all of his family), I felt much different about his speech. What I first perceived to be empty threats didn't seem so empty anymore.

[urban teacher]

I saw the Tom documentary and felt sorry for the oldest sister.She didn't want to be a caretaker and yet she was expected to. I saw child collecting in the mom and her inability to meet each Childs need. I'm not sure what is the answer to group homes but I wish we as a country could come up with some.