A mother of five children rescues three homeless siblings and takes them to child services, but she can’t forget them and comes up with a plan to bring them into her life. Lacey loved being a mom so much that she had done it five times. She and her husband, Brian, were the proud parents of three boys and two girls, and she sometimes wished they had more, especially now that the three older children were in college and the two youngest were in high school. “We’ll be alone again soon,” Lacey told Brian sadly. “I’m gonna miss having children around.
Brian nodded absently, even though he wasn’t really listening. “He has deer,” he said. Lacey smiled. She loved Brian, and she loved that he always understood how she felt. Three days later, Lacey’s life and her marriage turned upside down.
She was walking her dog on the beach when she heard a baby crying near an old abandoned lifeguard hut. The dog started barking and ran towards the hut. Lacey followed it and thought, wagging its tail happily. In front of the dog were three children. The eldest looked to be five and four years old, and the third was a baby still in a carriage.
The two oldest children looked frightened, and the baby just looked upset and very hungry. “Hello, who are you?” Lacey asked gently. The oldest boy said, “I’m Drew. That’s my brother, Kim, and that’s baby Will.
He’s two.” “I’m Lacey,” she said. “And where’s your mom?” “Mom went to get burgers,” he said bravely, “but maybe she got lost because it’s been a long time.” “How long has it been?
Lacey asked. “Yesterday,” Drew said, “but I know she’s coming back.” “I’ll tell you what,” Lacey said. “Why don’t I take you to have a burger, and then we can find your mom?” But Drew frowned.
“If she comes back, she won’t know where we are.” “We’ll leave her a note, okay?” Lacey said. She wrote a note and pinned it to the door of the broken-down lifeguard hut. “I’ve written down my cell phone number too, so she can call us.
Lacey took the kids to a beachfront burger restaurant, and while the kids ate, she called the police and child services. Then she returned to the table and ordered milkshakes. The kids were smiling and relaxed. That was when little Will reached over and patted Lacey’s cheek. “Are you our mommy now?
he asked. “No,” Lacey stammered. “We’re gonna find your mommy, you’ll see.” But social services weren’t as hopeful. They knew that if someone wanted to disappear, they could.
“She’s gone three months to feed,” the social worker explained to Lacey, “and she’s just 19. She’s been a mom since she was 14, and she’s desperate for freedom. If she ever comes back, it’ll be when she’s in her late 30s and the kids don’t need her anymore.” “That’s very sad,” Lacey said, “but these kids are so cute and so young. I’m sure plenty of families will take them.
“No,” the social worker said. “We have a policy not to separate siblings. We can usually place two, three’s a stretch. These little boys are gonna be in the foster system for a long time.” Lacey went home and told Brian and her high school-age kids what happened.
“Can you believe it? Those poor babies,” Lacey said. Brian protested, “You end up mothering everyone.” Lacey laughed, but she remembered little Will’s question, “Are you our mommy now?” She took a deep breath.
“Brian, why don’t we take the three kids?” “What?” Brian screamed. “Are you kidding? Why not?
asked Lacey. “Come on, Brian. We’re doing so well. You said the other day you’d like more kids.” “No,” said Brian crossly.
“I told you what you wanted to hear. We don’t know these children. We don’t owe them anything.” “What about basic compassion, Brian? What about love?
“We don’t owe them love either,” Brian shouted. “These are not my kids, and I won’t spend a cent raising them. You want them, you find the money because you won’t get a cent from me.” Lacey looked at her husband. “You know, Brian, it’s not about the money,” she said quietly.
“I’ll find the money. I’m sad you’ve become such a miser with your love. How can you grudge them your compassion? You’ve become hard-hearted. I wonder, do you still love me?
Lacey turned to her children. “This is not how I raised you to be cold and selfish with those less fortunate. I must have been a bad mother to have you turn out like this.” Brian and the children looked at each other and then away. They were ashamed but too proud to apologize to Lacey.
Brian felt even worse when he learned from the family lawyer what Lacey was doing. She had placed the house on the beach she’d inherited from her parents up for sale, and even the silver and jewelry her grandmother had left her. Lacey was planning on selling the things she held dear to help the three kids. That night, Brian and the kids came to Lacey and apologized. “Please, honey,” Brian said.
“Don’t sell anything. We have more than enough money.” “But do you have enough love?” Lacey asked, looking Brian and the two children in the eye. “I won’t bring those kids into a house where they won’t be loved.
Brian and the two younger kids, 14 and 17, promised they’d be caring and supportive, and even the older kids called from college to tell Lacey she had all their support. As for Drew, Kim, and Will, they were delighted to be part of a big family with lots of big brothers and sisters to spoil them. Soon, no one could even imagine what life would be like without the three little children who’d made their family complete.
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