Kent and Shari Johnson

Angels in Adoption 2005 - Idaho

Selected by Senator Larry Craig

Some people might think their parenting days were over after they had raised seven children. But for Shari and Kent Johnson, that way only a warm up to adopting a sibling group of five from the foster care system. This couple's adoption journey started when one of Shari's high school students jokingly called her "Mother," saying, "Well, you're the closest thing I have to a mother anyway." Shari was struck that a student could feel so close after spending only 40 minutes a day with her. "I started to think, I really enjoy teenagers. Maybe I should be a foster parent." But when she asked Kent if he wanted to foster children, he was not sure he could handle saying goodbye over and over. Later, they watched the filming of a Wednesday's Child segment and both felt they could provide the stable, permanent, loving home needed by a group of brothers and sisters who wanted to stay together. Their youngest son, a high school senior at the time, supported their decision and even wrote to an adoption committee urging them to select his family. The adoption was finallized a year ago. Today, Shari and Kent find life very busy, juggling the challenges of three teenagers and two almost-teens, in addition to seven grown children and six grandchildren. Yet laughter and love abound when they talk about their family. Their story is an inspiration to anyone who wants to make a positive, lasting difference in the life of a child, and demonstrates that they truly deserve to be recognized as Angels in Adoption (tm).