When Baylee Laine faced the choice of leaving her turbulent upbringing behind or staying for the sake of her younger siblings, she chose the latter.
At just 18 years old, she decided to take responsibility for the four children – and two years later, she had adopted them.
Today, Baylee, 28, shares the long struggle to gain custody of her siblings.
Baylee Laine was still a teenager when her family situation became increasingly complicated. Her parents divorced when she was young, and when she was eight years old, child protective services, CPS, became involved.
Her father later took care of Baylee and her brother. Meanwhile, her mother had four more children with two other men. Baylee spent a lot of time at her mother’s home helping with the younger siblings. When her mother later had twins, the situation became too much.
“I was like, ‘I can’t keep spending my summers taking care of your kids. I can’t keep doing this.’ I was a softball player and had a full ride to play softball,” she told People. “Then I started panicking. ‘What am I going to do with my life if my life basically revolves around helping my mom?’ She had twins, and then I took a step back.”
Baylee had other plans for her life. She was a successful softball player and had received a scholarship to play in college. During her senior year of high school, she planned to move out of state and start fresh.
But the thought of her younger siblings gnawed at her.
“These kids are going to be completely alone,” she recalls thinking.
In the end, she made the decision of her life.
“Then, I decided I’m going to stay, and if I stay, I’m taking them,” says Baylee.
Fought for two years for her siblings
Baylee enrolled at a community college and worked at the same time to be able to care for the children. She also received help from friends and family, who among other things raised money through a GoFundMe campaign.
