Dashoan and Sofia Olds were living a beautiful life as a childless married couple in Florida when they saw seven siblings on their local TV station’s facebook page.
The kids were living in three separate foster homes at the time. That’s when Dashoan and Sofia decided to welcome the children into their home and into their lives.
The children, Necia, Eric and Erica, Zavian, Dava, Keyon and Gentry were officially adopted by their parents in September.
According to The Today Show, the couple were more than prepared to take care of this new “Brady Bunch size” family: both Dashoan and Sofica served in the Armed Forces and both were deployed to Iraq before marrying.
“There was no question asked. If they allow us to adopt these children, we will do it,” Sofia remembered thinking earlier in the year. “We would do whatever it takes to make sure that we can care for them. It was all or none.”
While the Olds always thought adoption would be an option, they never anticipated having so many children at once. But that changed once the couple learned about the seven siblings in a news story posted on Facebook. The kids had been living in three separate foster homes and dreamed of finding “a forever home” together.
“I like to say I felt like it was a calling, honestly,” she said. “When I saw that picture, it was automatic.”
There have been adjustments to their finances, and the couple admit they don’t indulge in themselves anymore. But their focus now rests on the children and getting them into routines. Homework always comes first, as soon as they get home from school. Then the kids get to play sports and have some fun before sitting down to dinner.
“They know the drill, they know the schedule, and they like the structure,” Sofia said. “And they like the discipline and they help each other out. They help us out.”
The children have definitely embraced the family rhythm they craved before adoption.
“I never actually had a mom and dad under the same roof, but it feels great,” said Eric. “It’s like they’re both half of something, like peanut butter and jelly.”
Eric said he and some of his siblings had been separated for so long that…
…his memories of some of them had started to slip.
Now back together, it’s hard to imagine anything more to want for Christmas, said Necia, the oldest of the bunch.
“I was hoping that it could happen, so it’s like a dream come true,” she said.
Non-Hispanic Black kids disproportionately enter the Foster Care system: only 14% of USA kids are non-Hispanic black, but are 26% of the kids in Foster Care. Reasons for this might be institutional bias, but there are also some studies ( see Dept of Health & human Services study ) that indicate that black children are more than 2x as likely to suffer abuse than the average child.
Once in Foster Care, black children are made available for adoption at roughly the same rate as white children. But then, in terms of actually being adopted, fewer black kids are adopted than you would expect, but more white kids. So this feat by the Olds, is nothing short than a miracle.
Nowadays, Dashoan is a math teacher and Sophia is social worker. So nowadays, their spending is different.
“We eat chicken instead of beef,” jokes Dashoan.
“And we don’t spend as much on ourselves as we used to,” chimes in Sophia.
The couple and this family is so beautiful, I’m sure we’ll be hearing and seeing much more of them as time goes on.
Here’s to the Olds: may your home always be filled with love.