When Tom and Debra Ritter married in 1995, they created a family that included three children from previous marriages. Fourteen years and 22 adoptions later, that family  and the Ritters dedication to each other and their children  has grown in remarkable ways.

An Oct. 17 article by Amy Bertrand of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provided the following glimpse into the life of this unique family:

Many of [the adopted children] have special needs, some have had life-threatening illnesses. All of the adopted kids, ages 7 to 26, still live at home.

Most of the kids head to the one-room schoolhouse on the farm where they'll stay until early afternoon; Mom and some of the older kids teach. Others go with Dad to work in the restaurant at the bed and breakfast they own in nearby Vandalia, Mo. Sometimes, the older sons will work in construction. Money from all of their endeavors goes into the family pot. &

Marcia Jones, a former adoptions specialist for the state of Missouri, helped the Ritters with many of their adoptions. "What impressed me most about them is they said, 'Give me the kids that nobody wants,' and that usually meant teenagers."

Labels: families, adoptees

Posted By: Aspen/CRC