Real-Life Foster Care Stories: The Jenkins Family

You might have seen a post asking families to share their foster care and adoption stories with us. We did this because foster families sharing their adoption experiences helps normalize the experience of fostering and adopting, showing that love, patience, and healing are possible even through challenges.

By sharing these true stories, we hope to encourage anyone considering growing their family through foster care, adoption, or kinship care, and to give curious families a real glimpse into the joys, challenges, and milestones of life as foster and adoptive parents.

We’re pleased to share our very first story from Meagan Jenkins, a foster mother from Wisconsin, whose work as a foster and adoptive parent has touched the lives of dozens of children.

Beginning the Journey as Foster Parents

After having three children of their own, Meagan and her husband Matt wanted to expand their family.

At 24, we were told I could no longer carry any more babies. After carrying three babies, my single kidney, and health declined…it was hard to come to terms with never delivering another baby.

Even as she grieved this, Meagan knew she still had more love to give. “I love kids so much, and providing a safe, loving home to others brought me such joy,” she said.

That love became the foundation for everything that followed. Opening their doors to foster care was a natural extension of who they already were as parents.

Opening Their Home to Foster Care

The Jenkins family officially became licensed foster parents in 2019, welcoming children, teens, and siblings into their foster home. She shares: “In 2019, we made sure our kids, Owen then 11, Isabelle 10 & Nolan 8 were still okay with us beginning fostering & before the end of the year, we were finally a licensed home.”

From that first placement onward, Meagan and Matt embraced every child who came into their lives, treasuring the connections they could maintain whenever possible. Through every placement, they navigated the reunification process, supporting birth families while caring for their foster family.

We have enjoyed having every single one. If their families allow, we remain connected with as many as we can once they are reunified…As time marched on and each little or big was reunited, we also learned what a loss each connection was for us. Especially when no connection could be kept between our families.

A Life-Changing Call from the Social Worker

After hitting an emotional wall in fostering early in 2023, Meagan thought it was time to take a break from fostering.

There was a lull in calls, and emotionally, I felt like I needed to let “[fostering] one more [child]” go. Matt and I went through all of the things we’d collected for fostering, made donations that weekend, and Monday morning, I was going to call the county and let them know we were going to take a break.

But before she could, the social worker called with unexpected news: “Monday morning, the county called me. ‘Meagan? How would you guys feel about picking up a baby boy from the hospital?”

Meagan was overjoyed and said yes right away, but still wanted to check with the family before they made anything official.

Matt was out of town. I barely muttered the words, and he said, “Let me know when you have him”. Our bigs were all on board, two of which, (Owen almost 17 then, and Isabelle 15) asked if they could come to the hospital with me, as Matt was out of town and couldn’t be back until later.

Welcoming Calvin and Navigating Parenting Challenges

Bringing Calvin into their foster home was just the beginning. Meagan approached the arrival of Calvin with a special mindset:

As I went into welcoming this baby, I went in with a different heart. A heart soaking up all of his firsts and enjoying them as my lasts. After him, however long he needed, wed take a pause for our family and reevaluate things and if we wanted to remain licensed.

But after weeks turned into months, Matt and Meagan had not heard from either of Calvin’s biological parents. “We really couldn’t believe that he might become ours,” she says

In the meantime, Calvin thrived, learning quickly and finding role models in his older siblings.

Calvin John was in a rush to do everything! I don’t know if it’s because he has such big kids to look up to or what, but at 3/4 months, he loved jumping in a jumper, by 6 months, he was sitting up and crawling, and by 10 months, he walked. As his first birthday approached, we were really pretty certain he’d become a Jenkins.

Expanding the Adoptive Family

Days after celebrating their oldest son, Owen’s, graduation, the family got yet another unexpected but very welcome call. A social worker informed them that Calvin’s birth mother had just delivered a baby boy, and asked if they would be willing to foster him as well.

Calvin was a big brother at 16 months old…Our heads spun. We couldn’t believe it. I don’t know if it was mostly because for our family, ‘one more’ was what we had hopes for, and Calvin filled that hole, or what, but we need a moment to group together as a family and discuss.

With the support of their family, friends, and their older children, Meagan and Matt said yes. Meagan says, “Owen, Isabelle, and Nolan from the start said, ‘We have to, Mom, it’s his brother,’” and in December 2025, both boys were officially adopted. “Together, the five of them filled our hearts with an overwhelming joy.”

Life Lessons from a Then-Foster and Now-Adoptive Family

Through all of it, the Jenkins family has seen firsthand the impact of their parenting and the bonds formed through fostering and adoption. Even with the challenges and the emotional weight of the reunification process, Meagan reflects on the healing and joy that come with being foster parents. She emphasizes how their foster home remains a place of love and support for children in need:

Our home is still open, we are still licensed, and for now will continue to love on littles and bigs in our communities that may need it. Our family has learned how extremely blessed we are to have the family unit we have as a whole. Some people don’t have the love and support of their grandparents, parents, siblings, and close friends.”

Memorable Moments as a Foster Parent

Throughout their foster and adoptive parent journey, Meagan has experienced moments that left a lasting impact on her and her family. One of the most memorable involved a teenage girl who had been acting as a mother to her younger siblings. Meagan was able to step in, giving the girl the chance to be a teenager while she cared for her siblings. Seeing her relax and enjoy her youth, while still maintaining her role in the family, left a lasting impression. “She didn’t let loose much, but when she did, I loved the sparkle in her eyes.”

Meagan also recalls working with children who faced trauma:

A little boy came into care at 1.5 who’d suffered some trauma relating to water. Helping him through his fear of water and watching him learn to love even bathtime again really holds a special place in my heart as well.

Yet, the journey hasn’t been without challenges. Meagan notes the systemic frustrations that many foster parents encounter. She says that the lack of respect and communication is one of the biggest frustrations she has with the foster care system. “Often kids go back to the same situations simply because the immediate mess is cleaned up,” she explains.

Even so, she emphasizes the blessings that come with opening your home to children in need:

“If you have the room and the ability to love, you will be blessed more than you can ever imagine.”

Share Your Story

Do you have a foster care, adoption, or kinship care story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you! Submit your story through our Foster Love Story Submission Form and help inspire others in the foster parent community. Your experiences can educate, encourage, and create change for children, teens, and families everywhere.