The Norman Transcript

Headlines

Discussion

December 9, 2012

Oklahoma foster parents keep open door for kids

By Phyllis Zorn The Norman Transcript

HUNTER, Okla. — Weslie White has found room in her heart and her home for 19 children since she became a foster parent in 2009.

Three of those children have a permanent home with her because she has adopted them. Two other children, ages 3 and 7, currently are fostered in her care until it is determined whether they will return to their families or be placed for adoption.

Being a foster mother satisfies a lifelong desire for White.

“My mom says from the time I was really young, I said when I grow up I’m going to be a doctor and run an orphanage,” White said. “I think I always want to do it. It was not one specific incident in my life.”

Tyler, 5, is the first child Weslie and her now-former husband, Corey White, adopted. Weslie White adopted Ricky, 17, and his younger sister, Alona, 9, together after she and Corey separated.

Corey White maintains an active role in parenting the children — all of them, Weslie White pointed out.

On days when Weslie White works late at her nursing job, Corey comes to the home she shares with the children and spends the evening, feeding them dinner and seeing to the bedtime routine.

Corey and Weslie both focus on the importance of his role as a father, for the good of everyone.

“I think the most important thing people need to know is, you can ruin people’s lives by being selfish or not thinking of anyone but yourself,” Weslie White said.

As for the two foster children in her home, whose ages are 3 and 7, Weslie White said she would be happy to adopt them as well. One has lived with her for three years.

After Weslie White became a foster parent, her two sisters and a brother became foster parents, too. One other brother has yet to become a foster parent.

Her oldest sister, Shannon Cavazos, is a missionary in Mexico. She has three biological and two adopted children.

Her younger sister, Sarah Cobb, of Enid, has two biological and two foster children — one of which might become an adopted child.

Her younger brother, Zack Babcock and his wife, Effie Babcock, of Enid, have one biological and one foster daughter.

Weslie White’s father, Rodney Babcock, is proud of the family and the large flock of grandchildren he now has — even though it means borrowing extra tables and chairs so everyone has a place to sit during holiday meals.

At times schedules become hectic, what with getting everyone where they need to be at the times they need to be there, but the kids are worth the effort, he said.

“I believe it’s all going to work out,” Babcock said. “I believe the kids are all doing well.”

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Headlines
  • Moore Tornado Moore open for business

    Until an EF-5 tornado carved a path through the economic core of Moore on Monday, sales tax generated more than $2 million each month. In addition to damages, closed roads and utility outages forced many businesses to shut their doors. ...

    May 25, 2013 1 Photo

  • Sharing stories of survival

    MOORE — As Monday’s EF-5 tornado moved closer to Plaza Towers Elementary School, teacher Justin Ayers knew they were in its path. Ayers said all of the teachers at the site likely knew what was coming from television reports and they had ...

    May 25, 2013

  • 5-year-old girl finds silver lining

    A twist of fate and the discovery of a cochlear implant from a Moore hospital damaged by Monday’s EF-5 tornado are part of the story of a precious 5-year-old girl. In December, Jayde Scholl was adopted by Tulsa audiologist Jacque Scholl. ...

    May 25, 2013

  • Disaster central

    WASHINGTON — Many states get hit frequently with tornadoes and other natural catastrophes, but Oklahoma is Disaster Central. The twister that devastated Moore was the 74th presidential disaster declared in the Sooner state in the past 60 ...

    May 25, 2013

  • Okla. legislature adjourned early

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers adjourned the 2013 Legislature on Friday one week earlier than required, wrapping up a session that saw Gov. Mary Fallin advance her agenda to reduce taxes and overhaul the state workers’ compensation ...

    May 25, 2013

  • I-5 bridge falls into river

    MOUNT VERNON — The trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water ...

    May 25, 2013

  • Tornadoes impact family twice

    On May 3, 1999, Sherrie Lambert’s sister Esther Coburn, 35, was killed by the devastating EF-5 tornado in Moore....

    May 25, 2013

  • How to help: Community challenge

    Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity is challenging the community to provide long-term aid for storm victims by contributing to efforts that will provide many of these Oklahomans with homes....

    May 25, 2013

  • Obama balances threats to America

    WASHINGTON — Forecasting the changing nature of threats against the U.S. for years to come, President Barack Obama says “America is at a crossroads.” And so, too, is his presidency’s counterterrorism policy, which has long struggled to ...

    May 25, 2013

  • Hotels team up to house influx of tornado victims

    Norman hotels are used to big crowds. Whether it’s the extended family of every graduating senior at OU or tens of thousands of visiting Sooner fans, Norman always finds a way to house them....

    May 25, 2013