Baylee Laine Became a Mother to Her Four Siblings Before Welcoming a Daughter of Her Own

When Baylee Laine was still a teenager, she faced a decision that would completely change the course of her life: leave her troubled childhood behind and pursue her own dreams, or stay and take responsibility for her younger siblings.

Today, Laine is 28 years old and raising her four younger siblings, whom she eventually adopted, along with her own 3-year-old daughter.

Laine told PEOPLE that her parents separated when she was around 5 and divorced soon afterward. By the time she was 8, Child Protective Services (CPS) had become involved, and her father eventually took custody of her and her brother.

Meanwhile, Laine’s mother went on to have four more children with two different men. Laine often visited her mother’s apartment, particularly when another baby was born, and helped care for the younger children.

But Laine said those visits frequently placed her in uncomfortable and difficult circumstances, as different men were coming in and out of the household.

“I would be like, ‘I’m out of here,’” she recalled, explaining that she would return to her father’s home after spending only a few weekends with her mother.

A Teenager Torn Between Her Future and Her Family

As her mother had more children, Laine increasingly found herself taking on a parental role.

When her mother became pregnant with twins, Laine said she reached a breaking point.

“I can’t keep spending my summers taking care of your kids,” she remembered thinking.

At the time, Laine was a talented softball player with a full scholarship opportunity. During her senior year of high school, she planned to leave the state, attend college, and build a life of her own.

But as the move approached, another thought kept returning to her.

“These kids are going to be all alone.”

Eventually, Laine made a life-changing choice.

“I decided to stay, and if I stay, I’m taking them,” she said.

Fighting for Custody at Just 18

Instead of leaving, Laine stayed home and enrolled at a community college while working with a paralegal to pursue legal custody of her siblings.

She worked two jobs, used nearly all of her earnings to support the family, and received financial help from friends and others who learned about her situation.

A GoFundMe campaign eventually raised nearly $10,000.

Laine spent roughly two years working with a paralegal to establish herself as a foster parent at just 18 years old.

The legal battle did not end there. She said she then had to fight to have the parental rights of all three biological parents terminated and convince the state that she was capable of raising the children.

At one point, Laine was reportedly sleeping in the paralegal’s office while working to build her case.

Then, on October 25, 2017, CPS arrived at her home with the children.

From Foster Parent to Adoptive Mother

Laine was 19 when the children were placed in her care through foster care. Two years later, when she was 21, she officially adopted them.

She became the legal mother of her now-17-year-old brother, her 14-year-old sister, and her 12-year-old twin siblings.

She has since welcomed a daughter of her own, who is now 3.

“The minute they dropped them off to us in October, you’re full-time mom mode. There were no breaks,” Laine told PEOPLE.

She said the transition from foster care to adoption did not dramatically change their daily lives, but it gave her a sense of security she had not previously experienced.

“After the adoption, our life got a little bit smoother,” she explained.

The family no longer had to navigate the same state schedules, court appearances, visitation requirements, and other restrictions that came with foster care.

For Laine, the biggest difference was knowing that they were finally a permanent family unit.

Putting Her Own Dreams on Hold

Taking care of four children while still a young adult came with significant sacrifices.

Laine was attending college when she obtained custody, but she eventually paused her education and stopped working temporarily so she could care for the children full-time.

She also gave up her college softball career.

The twins were too young to qualify for the state-funded preschool programs available to the family, making it difficult for Laine to balance school and parenting.

“I ended up quitting school,” she said.

Her partner at the time helped provide financial support, along with state assistance available for the children.

Laine also acknowledged that the years before the adoption were filled with pressure and fear. She felt she had to be “perfect” to prove that she was capable of raising her siblings and worried that any mistake could jeopardize the family’s future.

After the adoption was finalized, that pressure began to ease.

Today, Laine’s story is one of an older sister who gave up many of her teenage dreams to become a mother figure to four younger children—and eventually made that role permanent through adoption.

Source: People