For stay-at-home mom of ten Shannon Pinkerton juggling multiple tasks is just part of the job. She and her husband, Troy, who works as a coal miner and a farrier, already had four biological children when they started adopting developmentally challenged kids out of foster care more than 10 years ago. Over the years, their family of six grew to include six more children: five with Down syndrome and one who’s blind, developmentally delayed and has dwarfism.
All but one of the Pinkerton kids are now adults — ranging in age from 17 to 33 — but their adopted children still require care that they weren’t able to get before they came to live with the family on their 40-acre property in Glenrock, Wyoming. "The foster care system is broken — especially for kids with special needs," Shannon explains, "They get placed anywhere, with people who aren't qualified. That's one of the reasons we're doing this." Her unique skill set was born out of growing up watching her mother, who ran a residential group home.
Managing such a large and diverse family has its challenges, but Shannon wouldn't have it any other way. "People will say, ‘I couldn't do what you do,’ but this is normal for me,” she says, reminding us all that 'normal' can vary widely and that every family — regardless of its makeup — has its unique brand of love and chaos. “Do the brothers fight sometimes? Yes. Will you find dishes in my sink? Probably,” she says. “Do we love each other? You bet.”
Source: TODAY