A woman adopts a teenager after fostering over 16 young kids. She started taking children in after she got fed up, waiting for Mr. Right.
In 2017, Katie Holstein first decided to become a foster mom. She thought she would take home only younger children, but her perspective changed after three years when a teenager opened her heart and changed her life.
Limited to adopt younger kids
The Kentucky resident told PEOPLE that she limited herself to only adopt younger kids. She explained that she was nervous, scared, and hesitant about fostering teenagers because she heard horror stories before.
However, Holstein said she heard some great stories too. She noted that regardless of age, children deserve a chance to be a part of a family.
The teen could not believe she got adopted
Akyra could not believe that she got adopted and said that it was "almost too good" to be true. She shared that she had to meet up with other foster parents' expectations, but she could just be herself with Holstein.
The 28-year-old foster mom was at Morehead State University finishing her college degree before she became an adoptive mom. She was with her parents and sisters at home, and she got fed up waiting for Mr. Right.
She decided to live on her own and become a registered foster parent because she believed she was ready to become one. She said that there was never going to be a perfect time, nor she would be financially stable and have the perfect house, so she started adopting kids.
In August 2017, she had her first placement consisting of three siblings below age two. Since then, Holstein has fostered over 13 additional children. She had also helped with respite care for other foster parents and helped to reunite two sisters right before Christmas in 2018.
The big decision
Officials called the Kentucky foster mom to consider adopting Thomas because he would need a forever home. It was a big decision for her because she had just fostered until then. Eventually, after a long process, she took Thomas "Tiny" home on January 4.
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Impressed by the teen
A social worker called Holstein up a few months later, asking her to take Akyra over the weekend. She took the teen home and was impressed by her because she got along well with her kids.
After staying with Holstein a few more times that year, Akyra returned in March 2020 for respite again that became a long-term placement. The duo had a big adjustment, but it took them only a few weeks to get comfortable with one another.
Initially, the plan was to move Akyra to the Independent Living Program after she aged out while staying with Holstein. The foster mom's sister joked that they should just adopt Akyra because the 17-year-old was already a part of the family.
Finally, on September 25, Holstein officially adopted both Akyra and Tiny. They celebrated by having a photoshoot with a board that wrote how long each child has been in foster care. Akyra felt so great to have a new mom after staying in foster care for almost 11 years.
