West Virginia couple embraces 34 children

FALLING WATERS, W.Va. (AP) — The Briggs household is like any other with kids doing homework on the kitchen table, a daily chore list and family dinners, but for Paul and Jeane Briggs there is one difference — they have 34 children.

With 24 children still living at home, Paul and Jeane have 34 children, five biological and 29 adopted, and are in the process of adopting two three-month old boys from Ghana.

"Anytime we go someplace as a family of this many, you always turn heads doing anything with 30 people. They always ask 'Are you a youth group?'" Paul said.

The couple adopted their first child when their five biological kids were children after a church retreat to Mexico. It wasn't until many years later, about 12 years ago, that they began adopting more children.

After becoming a certified foster home for children within the United States, Jeane and Paul said they did not receive a call for nine months and found the system volatile and hard to work with to foster children.

The couple then decided to adopt children internationally after learning about an adoption program with Russia and adopted three children through that program about 12 years ago.

All of the children the Briggses have adopted are from other countries. The couple has adopted from Mexico, Russian, Ukraine, Ghana and Bulgaria. While the children's ages at the time of adoption ranged from infant to 16 years old, Jeane and Paul have primarily sought to adopt older children, as they're harder to place, and special-needs children.

"We never thought that we would have this many," Jeane said.

"We've never had a number in mind. Even when we had five bio kids and the first adopted raising a family of six, there was never 'are we done or is there more?' We do know how to say no. We never thought we could save every child; it's just what meshes with our family," Paul said.

Whether seeing the children's picture before meeting them or seeing them for the first time in an orphanage, Paul said the couple felt the "click" of recognition and love with each child they've adopted.

With the type of children they adopt, Jeane said there can be a lot of struggles to work through, from teaching the kids to read and write English to medical issues.

Throughout the past 12 years, Jeane said the children have had more than 100 surgeries to correct medical conditions they were born with, including scoliosis, polio, cleft lip, blindness and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

She also said that the couple had to learn how to handle any emotional issues the children may have from either their home life before becoming orphans or that they endured while orphans, such as starvation and abuse.

"We've truly not really ever had any major issues, because we don't spoil them, and we're not afraid to deal with any issues that may come up," Jeane said.

Jeane has been homeschooling her children for about 29 years, both to be able to have more time with the children and to give them one-on-one attention. She said most of the kids are academically behind, whether because of medical issues or environmental conditions.

"Our position isn't to hide or protect our kids from the world, but really to prepare them for the world. In their countries, being an orphan you're second class, and higher education was not much of a priority. They're usually behind the curve, and homeschooling helps them maximize their strengths," Paul said.

Paul and Jeane credit their success in being a strong family unit and successfully navigating through the adoption process numerous times to God, stating that, without him their accomplishments would not have been possible.

The couple said the children feel that they are a family and do everything a family would do together, from helping each other with school work to chores and activities.

Like most families, they worry about issues like technology use, and only give their children cellphones once they receive their driver's licenses, for safety reasons. The couple make sure the kids stay active outdoors by playing family sports like trampoline, soccer and swimming.

When the Briggses go out as a family, Paul and Jeane said they experience little prejudice or judgment, with residents mainly curious about their unique family.

While they are sometimes questioned about why they adopted as many children as they have, Jeane and Paul say one point of clarification they say they often have to make is, since the kids were adopted internationally, they do not get any type of government assistance or stipends for the children.

The family recently received national media attention through a segment on "The Today Show," showing their story for National Adoption Month. Additionally, they will soon film an episode with the Dr. Oz Show about their family.

"For us, it's a platform to give our pro-adoption message. We usually really shy away from the publicity," Paul said.

"I wouldn't want to be paid for anything. We do it because we want another child to hold, and we would like people to be looking at special needs and older children because that's really our heart, and we can do that by showing our family and how positive it has been, though not without struggles," Jeane said.

Although approached by The Learning Channel, TLC, about filming a show on their family, Jeane said they declined because they did not want any focus to be taken away from the children or the group being a family.

The Briggses 24 adopted children living at home are: Abraham 31, Isaac, 17, Lily, 15, Mya, 12, Anna, 19, Josiah, 15, Luke, 13, Nataly, 21, Joseph, 24, Cate, 23, Leah, 21, Rachel, Tia, 18, Caleb, 15, Gracie, 11, Andrew, 10, Selah, 9, Isaiah, 8, Lila, 6, Sari, 9, Jesse, 4, Judah, 4, Grace, 15 and Levi, 9, and Sandra, 14, and JR, 9, who are coming soon.

The Briggses have also been approved to pursue the adoption of John David and Jabin, about three months old, from Ghana. John David was born without either foot, and Jabin does not have either leg and both arms end above the elbow.

Jeane records her experiences of the adoption processes and being a mom on her blog "Blessed By a Child."

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Information from: The Journal, http://journal-news.net/

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