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Oct. 9, 2013 (CatholicAnchor.org) – A hallmark of Catholic teaching is openness to life. One Coast Guard family in Valdez embodies this with uncommon generosity.

Michael and Christy Franklin have two biological sons: Aaron, 23, and Michael, 16. The Franklins desperately wanted a little girl, but after their son Michael was born, they were unable to have more biological children.

Answer to Prayer

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Christy, who has a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin, brought her concerns to Mary and the Franklins wound up adopting five siblings from a broken home.

After adding four girls and one boy to their family, Michael jokingly told his wife, “OK, no more praying to Mary!”

The five adopted children are Gabby, 14, Alexia, 13, Kaitlin, 11, Maddy, 10, and John, 8. At the time of their adoption, they were between ages one and seven.

While five children may seem a dramatic increase to a family of four, the Franklins did not initially plan on adopting so many.

“We were like any other couple,” Michael explained. “We wanted the Gerber baby — the little tiny girl who was just born — the one that most folks think of when they adopt.”

That vision changed once the Franklins spent a few weekends with five siblings who they knew were a good fit for their family. They couldn’t fathom the idea of splitting apart the siblings in order to adopt just one or two.

But when people learn the Franklins adopted five children, they receive mixed reactions.

Some say, “Wow, that’s a lot of kids!” Michael explained. Frequently before people realize that the Franklins’ five children are adopted, they say, “You must be Catholic!” Often the reactions are initially negative, Michael added, with people asking, “How do you support them? How do you handle them? You’ve basically given up any sort of freedom that you had.”

But once people learn the family’s story, attitudes often change, and they’ll say, “Wow, that’s amazing! I’m so glad that you did that!” Michael said.

Boosting family life

Christy said the family’s Catholic faith was a huge factor in deciding to adopt, and that in turn, their adoption has strengthened both their faith and their marriage.

During the process of adoption, Michael was in the midst of converting to the Catholic Church, after having been raised as a Methodist. With so many young children, all just a year apart in age, Christy looks back on those times and knows that she wouldn’t have been able to make it through the day had it not been for her faith.

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But there was great joy in knowing that they were able to adopt five children out of an unhealthy environment and give them a loving, stable home. “That gives us a lot of pride and joy,” Michael commented.

Adopting a large family, however, does bring challenges. Christy explained that it can be difficult finding the right balance of time to spend with each child individually, to ensure  they receive enough attention.

As an active duty Coast Guard family, the frequent moves can be difficult, especially as the kids get older.

Despite the challenges the Franklins say adopting children has been rewarding.

“I can’t imagine my life without them,” Christy said. “I think that Mike and I are a stronger married couple, I think that it has brought our marriage closer. I know that it has made our faith much bigger.”

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Coming out from a broken home

Michael noted that seeing the kids grow and flourish — watching their piano recitals, choir concerts and baseball games — has been greatly rewarding.

It also has opened their eyes to those who are less fortunate, as their adopted children come from a difficult background.

Michael and Christy were raised in a small town in Michigan, from families who practiced their faith, and have never experienced divorce. By contrast, Christy recalled that until they were brought into the Franklin home, their adopted children did not even know what napkins or silverware were.

“It blew my mind,” Christy said. “It’s just silly things that you don’t think of in everyday life, that you take for granted that some people just don’t have. And I think for us, it’s not about tangible things. It’s also about what we do in our everyday life.”

For Christy, as a mother, it is difficult knowing that her children lived in a broken home until they were adopted. However, when people ask her if she begrudges her kids’ biological parents for not giving their children a stable home, she responds, “I can’t ever be angry with [their mother], because I have these children. I thank God every day that she didn’t choose abortion. I thank God that she chose life. And I believe in my heart that she did what was best for them by putting them up for adoption.”

Challenges

For the kids, not being in touch with their biological parents can be difficult at times, especially since the older ones do have memories of their parents. This can be especially difficult for the girls. As they enter their teen years; they would like to know more about their mother. This sentiment frequently arises when they are looking at pictures and see the resemblance between themselves and their birth mother.

Nevertheless, they are very proud to be adopted.

Gabby, the oldest girl explained, “If we weren’t adopted, we wouldn’t have been in a good place. It makes us proud because we have parents who love us, no matter how many mistakes we make and no matter where we came from. They’ll always be there for us, no matter what.”

As for their biological sons, Aaron and Michael have always considered the adopted children to be true siblings.

Michael said he told his son Aaron, who was nine years old at the time, “You know, you’re going to be sharing our attention and the house with five other kids. And he said, ‘Well, Mom and Dad, we have to save them! We can’t just leave them out there to fend for themselves. That’s what God would want us to do.’“

‘Look into adoption’

To families who are considering adoption, the Franklins encourage them to take a leap of faith.

Michael’s advice is to become certified foster-adopt families, which allows couples to first be foster parents and see if adoption is right for them.

All things considered, though, the Franklins are big advocates of adoption.

“If you’re looking to have kids, and you can’t, please look into adoption,” Michael often tells couples. “It’s such a good thing, and there are so many kids out there who need homes, and there’s so much that you can do for them.”

Reprinted with permission from the Catholic Anchor.