'Everybody can be a foster parent,' Oakland County family celebrates 'National Adoption Day'

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - It was a day of celebration and inspiration for families across metro Detroit and the US. 

Tuesday was National Adoption Day and one local family is hoping to encourage others to open their hearts and their homes. It's the season of thanks and giving, which is the perfect time for National Adoption Day. And for the Smith family, it's the next chapter after nearly six years as foster parents to these three little ones.

Eight-year-old Jacey proudly showed off her artwork during FOX 2's recent visit to the Smith home, while dad, Jeremy, helped 7-year-old John on the computer and mom, Connie, sliced apple snacks for five-year-old Princeton.

"I aged out of the foster care system myself. And my foster mom was just amazing," said Connie. "So we decided to get licensed just to pay it forward."

The Smiths are both part of the FOX 2 family and have three daughters already; Skyler, Danica and Fiona. It has been a whirlwind.

"We always knew that we were going to be foster parents," said Jeremy. "Were we expecting the three extra kids? No, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I got a phone call saying, hey we have a three-year-old little girl. She's in urgent need of a home," said Connie. 

That was shortly after they were licensed to foster and just days before their oldest daughter's high school graduation party.

"It's the most surreal experience picking up a child who you do not know who's been through an extreme traumatic experience and our connecting moment was just singing Baby Shark," said Connie.

A connection that has grown since the boys, who were just babies, arrived just as the pandemic shut everything down. The Smiths were working from home and adjusting to two more children.

"We had our own struggles, but we had purpose, and we were super busy, and we were very grateful for that business," Connie said. 

Now grateful to be the parents of these children, they hope to inspire others to foster and adopt. After all, there are 10,000 children in state foster care in need of loving foster homes and forever families.

"They know they need a home and love and that's what they need. Anybody can be a foster parent, anybody," said Jeremy. "Everybody can be a foster parent." 

"Here's your chance to step up, become a foster parent, become an adoptive parent, or at least support the moms who are struggling," said Connie.