I met my partner in 6th grade. We were friends for years, drifted apart, and reconnected in 2006. A year later, we married and soon expected our first child. Our son was born in 2008 after a smooth pregnancy—bright, funny, and everything we dreamed of.
Courtesy of Eric and Mindy Perret
Our second pregnancy was different. Halfway through, we learned our baby had severe complications. In April 2010, our second son was born and lived only 23 hours. Losing him broke our hearts, but we knew we didn’t want an only child. Fearing another high-risk pregnancy, we turned to adoption.
Courtesy of Eric and Mindy Perret
International adoption didn’t feel right for us. We learned about the foster care system and the many children in our own community who needed homes. In 2011, we became licensed foster parents.
Courtesy of Eric and Mindy Perret
Our first placement was a joyful 7-month-old boy. After two months, he returned to his parents, but soon came back to us after nearly drowning. Around the same time, we welcomed another 9-month-old suffering from neglect and severe skin infections. We nursed him back to health like a newborn. Both boys stayed, and soon we added a newborn and his teenage mother, eventually finding the baby a permanent family while keeping his mom in our lives.
Courtesy of Eric and Mindy Perret
With four boys, we thought we were done—until our first foster son’s two sisters needed a home after a tragic loss in their placement. We couldn’t say no. We bought a big green 12-passenger van (“The Super Pickle”) and made space for them.
Courtesy of Eric and Mindy Perret
Just before our first family photo, we discovered I was pregnant again. Our youngest son was born healthy in 2015, making seven kids under age seven. The girls’ adoption was finalized in 2016—on what would have been our second son’s 6th birthday.
Courtesy of Eric and Mindy Perret
In 2018, we met four older siblings, in care for nearly six years and facing separation. We rearranged the house, added bunk beds, and welcomed them home. Our family grew to 11 children—two biological and nine adopted.
Courtesy of Eric and Mindy Perret
People often say, “I could never do that; I couldn’t say goodbye.” But fostering is like helping a child at the scene of an accident—you don’t think about the goodbye, you think about the need.
Not everyone is meant to foster, but there’s an ongoing need in every community. Whether for a few days or forever, you can change a child’s life. Love doesn’t divide—it multiplies. We’ve lived that truth, and it’s why we open our home, again and again.
