Thankful: Woman gives foster children 'a second chance'

At 8 years old, Jennifer Jones told her mom she wanted to be a foster parent when she grew up.

Her mom told her she'd end up like the old lady in the shoe.

"I said, "When I'm grown, I'm going to adopt all the kids who don't have any parents,'" she recalled. She wasn't sure where the urge came from at the time, and it still strikes her as odd now.

"Why would I say that at 8 years old?" she wondered.

But it made perfect sense to her mother, who could see the way she took care of younger cousins or helped older relatives. She didn't doubt that Jennifer would indeed try her best to follow through on her promise to adopt "all" the kids.

Jennifer Jones laughs with her soon to be adopted foster daughter on a bench outside the Common Pleas Courthouse in downtown Cape Girardeau Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014. (Glenn Landberg)

As it turned out, six would be enough.

For the past few years, she's had her six foster children to tuck in at night, six birthdays to celebrate, six Halloween costumes to help with.

"That's one of the things that makes me happy," she said. "One of my little boys told me he'd never had a real Halloween costume before, and so this year he was the Hulk."

But this year, she's especially thankful for the six children around her table. She's begun the process of adopting one of her foster daughters and said the others are sure to follow.

"When I'm done, I'm going to have six kids," she said. "I'm sure."

Jones said she didn't entertain the thought of having biological children.

"I didn't want to be a statistic," she explained. "The world's just so crazy. Instead of having a kid of my own, I'd rather take one in. Give them a second chance at life, away from a messed-up environment."

The foster daughter she's in the process of adopting (who, for the purposes of this article will be called "Mary," as the Department of Child and Social Services prohibits publishing her real name) had been in the system since she was 5 1/2 years old. When Jones took her in, she was on medication for behavioral issues and struggling in school.

"Now, there's no medicine. No behavior issues. She made B-honor roll this year," Jones said. "It's her environment. A child's environment has a huge impact on them."

She said that since her children have a place to feel safe and valued, they get to act like kids again.

They have weekly movie night, the boys play football and basketball together and Mary likes to sing and write songs.

"She's a little bit shy right now, but she'll get there," Jones said.

Making her children more comfortable was something that she already had a knack for, but the training required to become a foster parent taught her a wide range of techniques.

"There were nine classes, a super thick book, and other stuff that you had to go through before you could be a foster parent," she said. "It covers how to deal with the basic situations in life, dealing with behaviors, getting kids to open up to you -- that kind of thing."

But it was all worth it to see her children smile and bond like siblings. Sometimes it can be a hassle, but no more than in any other family.

"There's lots of cooking to be done. I'm still adjusting to that," she said. "But I just love making sure they get plenty of love and that they're happy. I'm just so glad I did it and I'm glad we're finally [making it through the adoption process].

This holiday season, she's got six of the most precious blessings she could imagine; she doesn't need anything else.

"Of course, if Santa Claus isn't busy, we could use an SUV," she said with a laugh.

tgraef@semissourian.com