PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla (CBS12) — A Florida foster family is sharing its story in hopes of encouraging others to consider opening their homes to children in need.
Brigitte and Justin, a South Florida couple, are currently fostering two young sisters while raising their two biological children, creating a bustling household filled with toys, laughter and love.
“I come from a big family,” Brigitte said. “I’m the sixth of 12 in my family, so kids are kind of just my thing. I knew there was a need for it, and we decided to just be one of the solutions.”
The couple now cares for four children aged 1 to 9.
“Ages are one, almost two, almost three and nine,” Justin said. “We’ve always strived not to separate siblings, and we didn’t. So, we said, ‘Yes, we’ll take both.’ And so, we have a very busy household.”
The foster sisters are close in age to the couple’s young daughter, creating an instant bond among the children.
“We have three girls that are just running, playing with each other all day,” Brigitte said.
Their 9-year-old son has also embraced his role in the growing family.
“He’s been very helpful, and he loves his new sisters right now,” Justin said.
While fostering has brought joy, the couple acknowledges it has also come with challenges. They said one of the biggest sources of support has been the foster parent community they found after relocating to Florida.
“Fostering is a lot harder than you would imagine it to be, not going to sugarcoat it,” Brigitte said. “We’re new to Florida. We don’t have any family out here. We didn’t move out here knowing any friends, so now we have a whole foster community that our kids can run around with and we can hang out with. Everyone has been so helpful.”
Justin said connecting with others who understand the foster care journey has made a significant difference.
“To have that camaraderie with other people that are going through the same thing,” he said.
Brigitte added that experienced foster parents have helped guide them through the process.
Despite the challenges, the couple said the rewards far outweigh the difficulties.
“For other people who think they’re not good enough, don’t wait until you think you’re good enough, because there’s no perfect foster parent out there,” Brigitte said. “That’s just what parenting is. We’re learning every single day.”
Justin said providing stability and care for children during a difficult chapter in their lives makes the experience worthwhile.
“It’s very rewarding at the end of the day to realize that you’re giving them a house and love that they so desperately need in a time of need,” he said.
For information about becoming a foster parent, helping children in foster care or reading more Forever Family stories, visit foreverfamily.org, in partnership with ChildNet and The Boca Raton.
Forever Families is Sponsored by Baker & DiSalvo Personal Injury Law.