Mother of 7 finds balance in kids, school, farm

RIDGEFIELD — It’s a typical early evening on the Griffith family farm. Brothers Silas, 17, and Samson, 15, shoot hoops in the driveway, while their sister, Mirlie, 18, watches. Standing nearby at a fence, Jennica, 12, deftly braids the mane of an Arabian horse. Their brother, Billy, 17, is still at track practice at Ridgefield High School.

The two older children, Abby, 22, and Abraham, 20, have flown the coop and now live in Vancouver.

Julia Griffith, the mother hen to the seven Griffith chicks, offers a bottle of milk to Major Bull, a calf who hungrily empties the bottle.

The health and fitness teacher at Laurin Middle School in Battle Ground school district doesn’t end her work day after the final bell. After school, she heads to Ridgefield High School, where she coaches track. Three of her own children are on the team.

Griffith, 54, was raised in a large family of five birth children plus five children adopted from Korea. She always wanted to adopt children. But she always thought she’d get married and have babies.

“God weaves a tapestry. You don’t know why things happen,” she said.

When she turned 40 and was still single, she asked herself: “Do I become a mom or travel the world?”

She ended up doing both, in a way.

In 2003, she traveled to Haiti to adopt siblings Billy, who was 4, and, Mirlie, who was 5.

In 2005, she returned to Haiti and adopted siblings Samson, who was 5, and Jennica, who was 2.

In 2008, she went to Ethiopia and adopted siblings Abby, who was 14, and her brothers Silas, who was 8, and Abraham, who was 12.

She was determined to adopt her children in sibling groups.

“It’s important to keep siblings together. That’s a huge bond,” she said. “To blend other kids together … sometimes that’s hard.”

Some of her children have physical or developmental challenges. Abby is blind. Griffith wasn’t told that Mirlie was stricken with meningitis, which created developmental issues. Mirlie also has epilepsy.

Griffith can’t recall the number of doctor appointments, surgeries or hospital stays her family has racked up over the years. It’s just a part of life, she said.

All of her children have birth parents who gave up their kids for adoption to give them a chance at a better life.

“I tell my kids, ‘You didn’t grow in my tummy, but you grew in my heart,’ ” she said. “There’s so many kids in the world who don’t have the opportunity for more schooling, to reach their fullest potential,” Griffith added.

At one point, her seven children attended six different schools. After school, they have sports, homework and chores.

Green acres

The almost-7-acre Griffith farm is home to a menagerie. It’s also where Griffith finds her center. She grew up on a farm and wanted her own kids to have that life experience.

“I draw peace from being outside,” she said.

As Griffith continued her chores, Jo-Jo the goose honked and threatened to bite. Walking toward the barn, Griffith scooped up the goose and cradled it in her arms. Zippy the gosling followed her, so did Major the calf, who sucked on her elbow.

“You remember the TV show ‘Green Acres?’ ” Griffith asked over her shoulder. “This is it!”

She emerged from the barn and scattered a can of chicken feed as squawking hens and roosters pecked at the ground. The roosters are named Sherbet Junior and Pretty Boyd Floyd’s Brother, she said.

“Something happened to Pretty Boy Floyd,” Griffith added.

She emerged from the barn with an with an armful of hay, shouted: “Come here, Red!” and tossed it over the fence to two horses, Merritt, an Arabian and Red, a Morgan.

Then she returned to the barn for more hay, stood at another fence and called: “Come here! Come on!”

Six cows came running for their dinner.

“Hello, Daphne!” Griffith said, greeting one.

“Named from a Scooby-Doo character,” Silas said.

The other cows include Coco, Chanel and Pearl, Griffith said.

Next, it was time for the family’s dinner. The kids pitched in and set homemade chili, brownies and a pitcher of lemonade on the picnic table in the yard.

Griffith ladled chili into bowls, and the kids passed them around the table.

As she served her family, she asked a question that is a dinnertime ritual: “Good thing at school today? One good thing, Jennica?”

“We got some homework done,” Jennica replied.

“Silas?” Griffith asked.

“No homework!” Silas said, grinning.

“What! No homework? Mirlie, do you have homework?”

“More!” Mirlie said.

“You have to eat that first. Too bad, so sad, sister!” Griffith said, teasing.

Then, it was time for Griffith’s good thing: “I had to cover someone else’s class today during prep period. That might be trip money for us.”

When Griffith is out and about with her large family, she said people approach her and ask: “How do you do it?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “I think we can all do things. Sometimes fear holds us back. Maybe when people read this story, they’ll think: If she can do that, we can adopt a kid and give them a life.”

How will the busy family spend Mother’s Day?

“It’s just like any other day,” Griffith said. “We go see my mom. Chores have to be done. I’m not about stuff. I’m beyond stuff. It’s about the kids, our family. I love watching my kids accomplish their goals and reach their potential.”