Life
Divorced man becomes dad to over 52 men in foster care
Men like Mr. B do not come around often.
Irene Markianou
12.12.19

Children who grow up in the foster care system face challenges the extend of which one couldn’t even conceive. That’s why providing foster homes for them is really crucial: it helps them develop mental and psychological stability, it allows them to be educated, build bonds and trust other people through socialization. Guy Bryant, or Mr B., is one of these foster parents that a child can never forget.

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Bryant grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His family home always had an open door for those who needed shelter. As he narrates, there would be people sitting at his family’s doorsteps drinking Kool-Aid- and that’s why it was called the “Kool-Aid house”- and if they needed anything, they were welcome inside. Then he started working at the Administration for Children Services (ACS), where he met who would be his first foster child.

“I was doing placement work, I grew to like this young man, he grew to like me and we respected each other. We talked about all kinds of things, so then one day he asks me ‘Would you consider being my dad?’ and I was like ‘I don’t know, I got to give that some thought.’ “

At the time, Bryant was recently divorced and he didn’t know if he was willing to share his home with someone else. Eventually, the thought of becoming the foster father of this young man grew on him and he decided to go for it. The boy then had a friend who needed a place to stay, and then that one had another one, and before Bryant knew it, twelve years passed and he has fostered more than 50 young men, many of whom have aged out of the foster care system now.

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Currently, Mr B. is the foster dad of four young boys: Dior, 15, Romario, 16, Gregory, 20, and Shallah, 23. The boys share a room in the two-story New York home and they even have their own keys to the house. As Bryant explains, giving foster children keys to the house is not something commonly done. However, when it is done, it boosts the children’s confidence and they feel trusted and safe. Sharing a room is also something uncommon.

“My last foster home I was in my room by myself. I didn’t have anybody to talk to,” Shallah said. “When I came here, it opened me up a lot, because now I have people that I have to talk to.”

According to Bryant, he might owe the development of the feelings of empathy and community spirit to one of his aunts: “She was on a community board. So if there was a youth in trouble, she would always try to help him.” All these years, he admits, he keeps in touch with about 80% of the children he has fostered.

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Mr B.’s story is a real life lesson. It teaches us to be sensitive towards people, and especially children in need, because a tranquil and loving childhood is key to developing soft skills that will help you go through life with confidence and determination. Let’s wish that this man’s example will be followed by many more people and families in order to help younger and older children live better lives.

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