Single Mom Says ‘Love Has No Color’ When It Comes To Her Adopted Children

May 11, 2022 by apost team

Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they simply decide to make a big difference in the lives of children. Whether it be fostering or adopting children, an individual who decides to take on this huge responsibility and commitment can really make an important impact.

Adoption often becomes difficult for single adults, especially when multiple children are involved in the adoption. Fortunately, this didn’t prove to be an issue for one woman.

Love knows no ethnicity, religion or nationality. Although she is often asked if her children are hers, Ohioan Treka Engleman doesn't let the comment affect her or her children's happiness. Treka, a math teacher, became a foster mom from age 21, saying she had no specifications about the childrens' gender or race. She then decided to officially adopt the children in 2019, providing them with a loving home.

According to the Adoption Network, more than 33% of Americans have considered adopting, although only 2% actually have adopted a child or multiple children. There are roughly 140,000 children adopted by American families every year, and about 1 in 50 children are adopted. 

There are also different types of adoption, including private and open. The former means that the adoptive parents become the sole caretaker of the adopted child, and that the biological parents are no longer involved in their lives. The latter option is more open-ended and allows the child to have a relationship with both his or her adoptive parents and biological parents.

For Treka, adopting her three children has been a struggle, but extremely rewarding.

Treka Engleman hatte keine einfache Kindheit. Sie ist die jüngste von 11 Geschwistern und ihre Mutter verstarb, als sie nur sechs Jahre alt war, wie Metro berichtet. Obwohl der Verlust des Familienoberhaupts den Engleman Kindern sehr viel Schmerzen bereitet hat, haben sie sich immer umeinander gekümmert und haben das beste aus ihrer unkonventionellen Situation gemacht.

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Treka Engleman didn't have an easy childhood. She is the youngest of 11 siblings and her mother passed away when she was only six years old, Metro reported. Although the loss of their matriarch hurt the Engleman family deeply, they always cared for one another and did the best they could to make their unconventional situation work.

Treka knew that she wanted to be there for children who'd lost their parents when she grew up. This is why she applied to be a foster mother at the tender age of 21 years old. In her application, Treka chose not to make any requests for a child of any particular race. Instead, she just wanted to be there for any young person who needed her as reported here in The Atlanta Black Star.

A five-day-old baby boy named Elijah was soon placed in Treka's care, according to The Atlanta Black Star. Treka cared for him as if he were her very own. Later, two sisters named Mercedes and Alexis, were placed in Treka's loving home.

The little family got along beautifully and Treka felt nothing but maternal love for her three foster children. However, this family was unusual in the eyes of many. While Treka is Black, Elijah, Mercedes and Alexis are white.

“Yes I’ve had my fair share of stares while we’re out in public, but we just keep walking by unbothered,” she wrote on Love What Matters. “I’ve had people ask me, ‘Oh, are you babysitting?’ and my response is no, they are my children. No questions asked. I never say ‘foster children,’ but my children. Because that’s what they are and always will be.”

"Love has no color in my home and they are loved unconditionally," Treka added.

Ein fünf Tage alter Junge namens Elijah fand bald ein Zuhause bei Treka, wie The Atlanta Black Star berichtet. Treka kümmerte sich um ihn, als ob er ihr eigenes Kind wäre. Später kamen noch zwei Schwestern namens Mercedes und Alexis hinzu.

Die kleine Familie versteht sich wunderbar und Treka liebt ihre drei Pflegekinder über alles. Allerdings ist die Familie in den Augen von manchen Menschen sehr ungewöhnlich. Treka ist Afro-Amerikanerin, während Elijah, Mercedes und Alexis hellhäutig sind.

“Ja, wir werden sehr oft in der Öffentlichkeit angestarrt, aber wir lassen uns davon nicht beeindrucken," schreibt sie in Love What Matters. “Ich wurde gefragt, ob ich die Babysitterin sei, worauf ich mit Nein antwortete. Sie sind meine Kinder. Ich sage nie 'Pflegekinder'. Sie sind meine Kinder. Denn genau das sind sie und werden sie auch immer sein."

"Liebe kennt keine Hautfarbe in meinem Haushalt und wir lieben einander bedingungslos," fügt Treka hinzu.

Letztes Jahr konnte Treka ihre Kinder endlich offiziell adoptieren.

What do you think of Treka's commitment to caring for children? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones, too.