Karen and Tobias Thompson, a couple from Cincinnati, Ohio, both 55, tied the knot in 2014. This hasn’t been a first marriage for neither of them. In fact, they have 7 adult children from their previous marriages, 28 grandchildren, and 3 great-grand children.
One would assume that life is busy under their roof, but it wasn’t like that until recently. Having in mind that all of their kids have families on their own, they all live at separate places, but they all visit frequently.
Speaking of her large family, Karen told Fox News, “There’s never been a dull moment. But my grandkids, I can send them back home.”
Back in 2015, less than a year after they tied the knot, the couple learned that Karen’s twin niece and nephew, Wilnya and William, who are now 14, had troubles in their home. In order to prevent the children to end up in foster care, they decided to welcome them in. Out of the blue, Karen and Tobias got back to being parents of young children again.
A year later, they learned that Wilnya and William’s half sisters, Sharnia and Sharleathea, now 9, were being constantly moved from one foster home to another. They asked to take them one day so that the siblings could spend some time together. However, it turned out that the younger twins loved being with their brother and sister so much that they didn’t want to return to their foster home.
“I love my Gigi so much that I’ve been wanting to live with her since we got to her house,” Sharnia told WCPO-TV.
Realizing that the set of twins should be raised together, Tobias told Karen that they should consider taking Sharnia and Sharleathea in. That sounded like a great idea. And even if that meant having their hands full, neither Karen nor Tobias could let the siblings live in separate homes. “We had an empty house, an empty nest, and then we ended up with the four,” Karen told Fox News.
Although they both have full-time jobs, these caring mom and dad always find the time for their children.
“Now that we have our own kids again and are raising them together, it’s a good thing, but it’s a challenge, too,” Karen admitted.
After years of fostering the four children, the couple finally officially adopted them on September 9, 2021.
“No sense splittin’ ’em up,” Tobias said. “Keep ’em all together. Show ’em a lot of love. That’s all they need. Love.”
“You can see the difference,” Karen added. “They have been through a lot … this is the light at the end of the tunnel. It was wonderful. It was just wonderful.”
We are so happy for the twins. Not every child gets an opportunity to be raised in a loving home.