One of Four

I’m ten out of forty fingers, four out of sixteen arms and legs, two out of eight little eyeballs, and one out of four kids that make up my generation of the Twomey family. My oldest sibling is 21, my youngest is 18, and my sister and I are 20. My parents had four kids under the age of four at one point in their lives. No, that wasn’t always the plan. And yes, we’re all so glad it worked out this way—I know my siblings and parents would say the same.

I want to back up for a second, though, and share with you how I became one of four. My oldest brother, Paul, was adopted by my parents in 1994. I was then adopted in 1996. Two days after my homecoming to New Jersey, and just twelve days after I was born, my mom gave birth to my sister, Laura. Then, in 1997, my parents had my little brother, Mark.

Four kids, three years, two adoptions, one miraculous family.

I do have to admit that the only thing better than having three siblings is having an amazing set of parents to lovingly steer us in the right direction, especially when they committed to teaching each one of us how to drive a motor vehicle. It takes a special kind of someone to take on planes, trains, and automobiles with four children in tow (we can say with pride that it's doable)! My parents have always been ready to take on whatever we have given them, including managing our extra-curricular activities, spending quality time with each one of us, and fifteen years of consecutive school graduations.

Our house was chaotic 99.99% of the time. This was mostly due to the amount of fun we were having as a family, such as our weekly game nights and nightly family dinners. We definitely spilled a lot of milk and broke a lot of dishes, and the combined energy of the four of us shook the walls. But the amount of love we poured into each other then, and still pour into each other now, goes to show just how awesome it is to be one of four. My three siblings are my three best friends, and our parents are my heroes. 

I think every sibling group of four (or less or more) deserves to live a life with the kind of love I have experienced in my family. At Gladney, we currently have sibling groups of four waiting to find their forever homes. If you or anyone you know is considering growing your family through adoption, and are open to the idea of a sibling group of any size, I encourage you to reach out to Gladney by emailing Beth Whitacre, our Intercountry Adoption Caseworker, at Beth.Whitacre@gladney.org. 

Feel free to share this post or leave a comment to be an adoption advocate for the sibling groups of four (and less and more) we are working so hard to find homes for! If you want to get involved by working with Gladney, click here to see our available job, volunteer, and intern opportunities. We would love for you to reach out!

By: Margot Twomey
International Adoption Intern