Foster The Future
The Bentley Family Story
The Bentley Family
Jeremy and Faith Bentley adopted Karter on January 15, 2021
It’s always been easy for Faith Bentley to connect, care for, and love children. So when her 8-year-old nephew, Karter, was in foster care without a clear path for adoption, Faith and her husband, Jeremy, made a swift decision.
“Right away we wanted to adopt him, but we had to go through the whole process and we wanted to see how the fit was for our family — and he fit right in,” Faith said. “We just knew right then that we were going to try to adopt him and it was definitely a process. There was a lot of paperwork and we had to take classes.”
The Bentleys didn’t know Karter well before Child Protective Services had contacted them about his situation, only seeing him occasionally at another family member’s house. But the connection was instantaneous and Karter assumed the role of a younger brother to their older son.
“They’re just like two peas in a pod, but they’re completely opposite,” Faith said.
The day Karter was adopted was an emotional one.
“Karter was so used to always being moved around, and he was so scared that it wasn’t going to happen,” Faith said. “We all wrote out our own letters (to show support for the adoption to the judge). It was a really good day.”
Even though the adoption is final and Karter does not have to shuffle from house to house, there is still work to be done. It’s common for children in foster care to have experienced many difficult life situations, requiring therapy, patience, and a lot of love. The Bentleys are prepared for all of it.
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Q/A
WHY DID YOU WANT TO ADOPT?
Just bringing a child into your home and giving them love where they just don’t have it. You see kids every day without parents and I lost my mom at a young age, so I know what it’s like not to have that figure in your life and just providing that for a child at a young age.
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF ADOPTION?
A lot of things — you’re family gets bigger and my son has always wanted a sibling. They don’t even act like cousins. They know they are brothers, and to see that every day and the smiles on their faces — that’s it for me.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING?
Getting him to open is the most challenging. He’s slowly but surely getting there and he’s still seeing his therapist, which is helping.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WELCOME A NEW MEMBER TO YOUR FAMILY?
Honestly, it was one of the easiest things. It just felt so natural.
WHAT IS A MOMENT YOU REFLECT ON FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE?
I just think of all the help we’ve had from Child Protective Services. It’s just been amazing — amazing people. They were a big help.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE CONSIDERING FOSTER OR ADOPTION?
A lot of patience — patience is key with emotions because obviously, they’re not going to warm up to you right away.
HOW HAS ADOPTION CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
It feels the same. Karter coming in just felt like such a natural thing. I don’t know that anything is changed, it’s just that our family is bigger. Everybody loves him.
Jeremy and Faith Bentley adopted Karter on January 15, 2021
It’s always been easy for Faith Bentley to connect, care for, and love children. So when her 8-year-old nephew, Karter, was in foster care without a clear path for adoption, Faith and her husband, Jeremy, made a swift decision.
“Right away we wanted to adopt him, but we had to go through the whole process and we wanted to see how the fit was for our family — and he fit right in,” Faith said. “We just knew right then that we were going to try to adopt him and it was definitely a process. There was a lot of paperwork and we had to take classes.”
The Bentleys didn’t know Karter well before Child Protective Services had contacted them about his situation, only seeing him occasionally at another family member’s house. But the connection was instantaneous and Karter assumed the role of a younger brother to their older son.
“They’re just like two peas in a pod, but they’re completely opposite,” Faith said.
The day Karter was adopted was an emotional one.
“Karter was so used to always being moved around, and he was so scared that it wasn’t going to happen,” Faith said. “We all wrote out our own letters (to show support for the adoption to the judge). It was a really good day.”
Even though the adoption is final and Karter does not have to shuffle from house to house, there is still work to be done. It’s common for children in foster care to have experienced many difficult life situations, requiring therapy, patience, and a lot of love. The Bentleys are prepared for all of it.
-----------------
Q/A
WHY DID YOU WANT TO ADOPT?
Just bringing a child into your home and giving them love where they just don’t have it. You see kids every day without parents and I lost my mom at a young age, so I know what it’s like not to have that figure in your life and just providing that for a child at a young age.
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF ADOPTION?
A lot of things — you’re family gets bigger and my son has always wanted a sibling. They don’t even act like cousins. They know they are brothers, and to see that every day and the smiles on their faces — that’s it for me.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING?
Getting him to open is the most challenging. He’s slowly but surely getting there and he’s still seeing his therapist, which is helping.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WELCOME A NEW MEMBER TO YOUR FAMILY?
Honestly, it was one of the easiest things. It just felt so natural.
WHAT IS A MOMENT YOU REFLECT ON FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE?
I just think of all the help we’ve had from Child Protective Services. It’s just been amazing — amazing people. They were a big help.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE CONSIDERING FOSTER OR ADOPTION?
A lot of patience — patience is key with emotions because obviously, they’re not going to warm up to you right away.
HOW HAS ADOPTION CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
It feels the same. Karter coming in just felt like such a natural thing. I don’t know that anything is changed, it’s just that our family is bigger. Everybody loves him.