Single Father Adopts Five Siblings on Ohio County’s Adoption Day

Five siblings will now have a forever home thanks to one single Ohio father who adopted them on Adoption Day in Hamilton County Friday morning.

Robert Carter initially fostered three boys in the foster system — Giovanni, Robert Jr., and Kiontae.

But when Carter learned that the three boys had two sisters —Marionna and Makayla — who were also in the foster system separated for six months, he knew he had to do something to keep the family together.

“We met up for visits, and all the kids were crying,” Carter told WXIX. “They didn’t want to leave each other, and at that moment, I knew, ok, I have to adopt all five.”

Carter told the news station that he grew up in foster care himself and knew what it was like to be separated from his eight siblings.

So he worked to get a bigger house and officially adopted all five siblings on Friday.

“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 said.

Carter is not the only single father to adopt multiple siblings so they could stay together. Lamont Thomas of Buffalo, New York, adopted five siblings under the age of five years old in 2019 and also fostered 30 kids over 20 years.