To realize his lifelong dream of fatherhood, 47-year-old Keith Kennard adopted three kids from Georgia’s Independent Adoption Center (IAC). But while he enjoyed family life, having children didn’t really help his chances of finding a mate. “That’s not even an option when you have three kids,” says Kennard. “Most men don’t want to walk into a situation with a man who has three kids.” At least that’s what he thought until he met David Mayer, a single man with three sons and a daughter from a prior (hetero) relationship. Three years later, they began living under the same roof and raising their seven kids together — it’s kinda like The Brady Bunch, only with two daddies.
Kennard, Mayer, and their seven kids live in Georgia, a state without any laws forbidding gay adoption. Hooray! Kennard opted for open adoptions, which will keep his kids in touch with their birth parents. He also chose to adopt African-American kids with health challenges, because he hated the seeing so many left waiting for a family.
Like Kay and Gail, the lesbian couple who adopted 9 kids, Mayer and Kennard say the joys of family life outweighs the costs. To balance their work as a security manager and nurse alongside the childrens’ academics and participation in after-school sports and JROTC, they raise their seven kids on a very regimented schedule. All that’s missing? Other gay dads to lean on for support.
“It’s a chaotic day keeping up with kids and doctors appointments and just their daily lives,” says Mayer. “[We] get dinner on the table, homework checked and have them in bed by 10 o’clock, and the day starts all over again. We don’t get a lot of rest.” In the fictional television version of their lives, they have live-in help. Go ask Alice.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
[CNN]
D'oh, The Magnificent
Interestingly, no one commented on this. Now, if it were about blacks hating gays, I am sure we would see 150 responses.
Revemupman
OMG Queerty is FINALLY putting out useful stories. I love this site now, its like a love hate relationship….
Revemupman
@D’oh, The Magnificent
The post just arrived, it only has 31 views as of now……
Luxury
Beautiful!!!!!!
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Geeezzz…….. Instead of attempting to turn this thread into some kind of drama……..How bouts we simply make comments on what a great freaking story this is???? And how it delivers a substantial FCUK YOU to Maggot Gallagher, James Dobson, and all the rightwing lunatic freaks who claim we Gays can not possibly create a loving stable family and only want to diddle little kids?????
Keith and David: You guys are a shining example of all the goodness that can come from the Gay community …….Thank you!
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Revemupman: 100% Co sign…..Recently the threads here on Queerty St. have two writers (who I guess are new because I hadn’t seen previously identified) Daniel Villarreal and Ryan Tedder and amazingly you now see:
~ Coherent Headlines
~ Relevant stories that actually seem to make sense!!
Thanks guys, I can not cease working on my Queerty to English translation guide……….. :-p
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Arruuugggh…… I can now cease…….
veg
(1) Not about porn or celebrities
(2) Not about “pretty” (usually) white male models
(3) Not snarky, snide, or bitchy
(4) Quotes direct speech from the subjects
(5) While it does not cite the specific CNN source in prose within the write-up itself, it does cite the source with one internal link and one at the end
(6) Positively portrays black gay men (instead of the frequent pathologizing)
(7) Actually goes into some detail instead of glossing over the specifics and nuances
(8) Includes photos
All this =
a great story
about
GREAT DADS
Jimmi
OMG! A story on Queerty that is relevant and no Davey Wavey’s in sight? yea!
Let me say to these families: Happy Pride Day!
jeffree
Great story! Keith and David are heros!
As a “foundling”, a product of the foster care system, and then an adoptee, I hope to follow in D & K’s foot steps.
I was lucky enough to get adopted by a great family, despite my status as a “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome” baby. I had problems with language from the get go [foster family had spoken Italian to me mostly], but Dad & Mom & sibs spent every waking hour helping me learn to speak & understand English.
[Mom & Dad added me to the three others they had already adopted. We were poor, but never went hungry or without clean clothes or books or fun]
Once I finish college and get a real job, I hope to be able to adopt. And marry.. i’ll worry later about what order to do those things in !
Thanks Daniel for a great story.
Mark
What a great story! Gave me a great smile this afternoon! Spot on guys!
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@jeffree: J…..thats a 4 hanky story you have lived my friend……….I had experience with foster kids in a different way. I was the youngest of four boys and my Mom always wanted a baby girl (I was the closest she came :-p ). So we took in 14 foster baby girls as I was getting growed up it was a great experience for our family (even though I was soooo jealous they got all the pretty dresses :-p)
Your rough start as a babe obviously had little effect because you def gots your stuff together. Your Queerts posts are witty and intelligent,and you seem like very good people. Kudos to your Mom and Dad for doing the very right thing…………
Tackle
Wow! What a beautiful inspiring story.
Hilarious
Wow now this is a story that could put a smile on anyone’s face.
nikko
wow! great, now this is news!This is the kind of gay lives you don’t hear/see much of!
slobone
Actually considering Robert Reed was gay, this is a LOT like the Brady Bunch…
truthteller
Awesome.
Congratulations to the dads and kids. Love=Family.
MickW
A story about black people who are actually gay, I love it!
Samwise
Between this and the story about Bob and Henry, this is shaping up to be a very, very good day.
Ash
Aww…now that’s sweet.
Queer Supremacist
@slobone: Except these guys are out of the closet and not writing long, pretentious screeds to the writers on why their scripts suck.
FreddyMertz
More “Families” stories please.
Madge
Would love to have you be guest writers on our website. Please check us out. thenextfamily.com Your blog would be a great starting point. If interested please email me at [email protected]
Craig Max
Please pass this on as we try to grow our family through adoption!
https://sites.google.com/site/craigmaxandmosi/