When Robert Carter started fostering three brothers out of Cincinnati, he thought that was the full picture. Then he learned the boys had two sisters somewhere else in the system. All five siblings had been separated across three different foster homes and had gone six months without seeing each other.

Carter, a 29-year-old cosmetologist and wig shop owner, made a decision that surprised nearly everyone involved in the case: he would take all five.

A Decision Rooted in Personal History

Carter is the third oldest of nine children. At 12, he was placed into foster care himself. During that time, he was separated from a brother he would not see again for 14 years. He has described his own childhood as one where, at age 10, he was left responsible for feeding younger siblings. "I'd steal food because that was the only way we'd eat," he said.

That history shaped everything about the choice he made. The five siblings he took in came from a neglectful home. Carter understood, with a specificity most people don't, what it meant to lose your family while still being alive.

What the People Inside the Case Saw

Adoption case manager Stacey Barton, who worked the case, put it plainly: "I've never had a single father adopt five children. I've had married couples who have adopted six or seven, so this was a unique experience for me."

Magistrate Rogena Stargul was initially skeptical. She observed the hearings closely, watching how the children moved, how they interacted with Carter, how they behaved with each other. Her conclusion: "I'm looking to see body language — how are the kids interacting with each other as well as the petitioners as the testimony is being taken, and I'm like, 'This is the real deal.'"

One of the children, 10-year-old Marionna, had taken time to warm up. Eventually she walked into Carter's room and told him: "I just want to say thanks for taking us in and taking care of us when our real mom couldn't."

The Day It Became Official

On National Adoption Day, Robert Carter legally became the father of Marionna, 10, Robert Jr., 9, Makayla, 8, Giovanni, 5, and Kiontae, 4. A spokesperson for Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services called his decision "truly selfless and inspiring."

Carter has since received the Life of Hope Award from Casey Family Programs, which recognizes enduring commitment to the safety and success of children and families. He accepted it as a single father of five, running a hair salon in Cincinnati, raising the siblings together under one roof.