Pittsburgh Dads Adopt Six Siblings Who Endured Years of Neglect And Abuse While In Foster Care

Jun 05, 2019 by apost team

It's not every day that you get the chance to save the life of one person, let alone six people. For Rob and Steve Anderson-McLean, a married couple living in Pittsburgh, the opportunity to be everyday heroes came in the form of six neglected foster children.

Six siblings, ranging in age from seven to fourteen were at risk of being separated permanently after floating around an already-crowded foster care system. The children had been shuffled in and out of homes that didn't have the resources to care for them.

According to the National Center For Youth Law, "estimates indicate that well over half of children in foster care nationwide have one or more siblings also in care. Some sources state that as many as 75 percent of these foster children are placed apart from one or more of their siblings." With those estimates, six siblings may have very little chance of staying together within the system.

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The Anderson-McLeans married in 2013 with adult children who had already flown the coop. The couple realized they still had love to give and weren't finished being parents yet.

When they were heard of the six siblings' story, they were touched. The kids had been in the foster care system for nearly five years and experienced abuse and neglect.

When they decided to adopt all six of them, the judge warned them that it would be a huge undertaking and that they would be henceforth legally responsible for all of them just as much as if they were the youths' biological parents.

However, the couple was undeterred. While aware that there would be challenges, Steve said that when he looked into the eyes of his future children, he felt an instant and unbreakable emotional bond.

"There are no rules as to what can constitute a family and the love that we share," Rob told Good Morning America.

At the adoption ceremony, all eight members of this new little family wore t-shirts emblazoned with the rhyming words, "Anderson-McLean, Established 2019."

The siblings are adjusting well to their new home. Prior to coming home with their new parents, they'd spent over four years in an adoption center. While the couple admits that there have certainly been challenges, it's nothing that love can't overcome.

"We've known them for less than a year, [but] it feels as if our emotional bonds were years in the making," Rob told ABC News.

In the end, it takes a lot more than blood to make a family. It takes love, courage and the willingness to be selfless for the good of another human being. Rob and Steve aren't just these kids' parents, but they're their heroes as well.

Have you ever done something selfless for someone who needed you? What do you think it takes to make a family? Let us know your feelings in the comments down below.