Meet the Herring Family!

Dale and Rebecca Herring have two young adult daughters who arrived the traditional way, and a young daughter and son who arrived through adoption. The couple hadn’t planned to add to their original family of four, but when notified that a relative’s child was in foster care and being freed for adoption, they sprung into action.

 Maureena and MacKenzie, now ages 21 and 19, were teens when Taia arrived as a 2-year-old. A couple of years later, the family was informed of Joseph’s birth, and he came to live with them at age 4 months. Adding such young children with special needs to the family brought its set of challenges. The children have had various therapies and special educational services to support their growth. The Herrings have all worked together to assure the best possible situation for each family member.

Taia and Joseph have thrived in this loving household. Now 8 years old, Taia is enjoying 3 rd grade. She has surpassed experts’ predictions of her future abilities. Joe, age 4, is attending Head Start. Weekends find the family outdoors whenever time and weather permit. They are frequent visitors to nearby campsites and rivers.

Dale and Rebecca hold family dear, and that is why they adopted. Dale explains, “Taia and Joseph are biological half-siblings. Their birth mother is Rebecca’s first cousin. It was important to us that family adopt the children so that they could stay connected to each other as well as the family.” These parents make sure that Taia and Joseph have occasional visits with their birth mother and grandmother.

The Federal Adoption Tax Credit, the monthly adoption assistance and health insurance have all enabled the Herrings to provide for the children’s needs. They have also put their free camping pass at Oregon State Parks to great use.

The Herrings report the most challenging aspects of adoption were the length of time it took for completion and the uncertainty of knowing if the children would stay with them due to the birthparents’ rights. (At age 1, Joseph was returned to his birth mother’s care for 15 months.)

The Herrings respectfully ask members of Congress to review the child-placement laws and rules that seem to benefit birth parents at the expense of the children’s well-being. They state, “More foster children would have forever homes if the system and the laws did not make it so hard to adopt.” Unaware of adoption laws and such, Taia and Joseph have emerged into likable, well-adjusted children who enjoy being part of an active, loving family.