Couple Adopts 6 Siblings Who Were Living In 5 Separate Foster Homes — 'We Knew There Were Kids In Our Own Backyard Who Needed A Loving Home'
The couple are close to their own siblings and couldn't fathom separating these 6 kids.
Comstock via Canva, Nuva Frames / Shutterstock In a heartwarming story, a loving couple ensured that siblings wouldn't be raised without each other.
Dustin and Daniel Johnson bonded over their mutual desire to have children. The couple dated for two years before getting married in 2020. They made a decision early on to not consider surrogacy as an option, and instead adopt older children and siblings who are harder to place in a home.
"We knew there were kids in our own backyard who needed a loving home," Dustin said in an interview with TODAY.
The couple adopted six siblings who were living in five separate foster homes.
Their adoption specialist asked them how many children they would like, and joked that they could fit six additional passengers in their Suburban.
"The next month, in December, our adoption specialist reached out and said, 'How serious are you about that six number?'" Dustin revealed to GMA.
In May 2023, the Johnsons formally adopted six siblings who had spent over three years in the foster care system across five different homes: Reid, 11, Amiyah, 10, Izayah, 9, Kaelix, 7, Cade, 6 and Roslin, 3.
The couple both grew up with siblings whom they shared a close bond with, so it was no question when they chose not to adopt a child without their siblings. "We knew how much it would hurt to be separated from our siblings growing up," Dustin said.
Once the children started living with Dustin and Daniel in May 2022, they faced numerous hurdles. The siblings had night terrors and were diagnosed with PTSD, having witnessed episodes of domestic violence and drug abuse in their past.
"I'll never forget the first time we had one of the kids over, and the kid sat there and ate, like, 12 hot dogs. They never had enough food, so they'd just gorge," Dustin said.
Despite these initial challenges, Dustin and Daniel's nurturing natures built trust between themselves and the children over time.
"It took months and months to build up that trust. Then the light started coming in," Dustin said.
With regular visits to a family therapist and individual therapy for four of the children, their mental health and academic performance improved remarkably.
Dustin proudly shared that the kids, who were initially 'failing in school,' are now making all As and Bs.
Their oldest daughter, Amiyah, had the toughest time adjusting.
"She was the one that clung the most to the idea that her mom might come back and save her," Dustin said. "I think it was hard for her to bond with us because in her head it meant she was betraying her mother."
Dustin didn't know how Amiyah was going to react on adoption day. However, to their pleasant surprise, she was immensely happy, crying tears of happiness.
The Johnson family, now united, love to spend their time going for bike rides, fishing, playing outside or simply cuddling on the couch.
"The new thing they're excited about is taking vacations. They love vacations now, but hotels used to be a trigger because they've lived in hotels," Dustin said.
Remarkably, despite spending years apart, the children have developed an inseparable bond. "They're almost co-dependent," Dustin observed. "We had the boys split up in two different rooms, and they came to us and asked if they could all be together."
On the topic of future adoption plans, Dustin chuckled, "Funny that you mention it," before revealing that the biological mother of his six children is due to give birth in August.
Ethan Cotler is a writer and frequent contributor to YourTango living in Boston. His writing covers entertainment, news, and human interest stories.