Kim Wilson watches the family as Darren Wilson lays in a comfortable position to keep his severe nerve pain down as Jenna, 6, and Ayden, 4, play on the floor inside of their home in Amesville, Ohio. Darren and Kim stepped up to the responsibility of being a kinship home for Kim's grandchildren after they were taken away from their mother, Angel, due to her drug problems. “She gave birth to an addicted child, the state of Ohio stepped in and took Donavon and was looking at taking the other two little ones,” Darren said.
Old family photos are prominently displayed on the Wilson's living room wall. "If I would have known this is how she (Kim's daughter) was going to turn out I would have taken hold of that girl and made sure she didn't make these mistakes," Kim said.
Jenna and Ayden play on a makeshift see-saw constructed for them by their grandfather, Darren, in the Wilson's front yard. The two children have spent much of their lives under the care of Darren and Kim. Although they find themselves in a situation they don't yet understand Darren and Kim do their best to create a stable life for the children. “Those two little ones will always have a home here, I’ll do everything I can, and if it’s the last thing I do it’s to make sure that they’re always welcome here and have a home to come back to," Darren said about the children's precarious position.
Kim helps the kids brush their teeth in the morning before sending Jenna off to school. The Wilson's have no running water in their bathroom so the family uses the kitchen for all their water needs. Kim doesn't work due to medical problems and to stay home with the children while Darren completes odd jobs for friends and neighbors to help the family get by financially.
Jenna and Ayden play together on the floor while eating their breakfast before Jenna headed off to school.
The Wilson's live on the outskirts of the small southeastern Ohio town of Amesville. The appeal of independence and the country lifestyle originally drew Darren and Kim to the home.
Jenna cries into Kim's shoulder before bed after hearing Kim and Darren talking about Angel after finding out that the children will not be able to move to Michigan to be with their mother. "It's really tough, especially for Jenna," Kim said. "She misses her mom, she needs her mom. Angel is just not the mom that Jenna needs her to be." Jenna is often hit with fits of sadness before bed when she thinks of her mom.
Two beds were tucked into a spare bedroom that was used for storage before the children needed a place to stay.
“Kim and I both stepped up and said hey, they’re better off right here. They’re safe, they’re happy, and have a good home to live in," Darren said.
Darren cooks fried chicken for the family's dinner after his daily activity of walking Jenna back to the house from the school bus.
Jenna spends much of her time at home writing letters to her mother.
"Ayden's at an age where he really doesn't understand what's happening," Kim said. "But, you can tell that not seeing his mom gets to him."
Darren hands Jenna a letter to give to her teacher at school saying thank you and that she'll no longer be coming to school since she'll be moving to Michigan to be with her mother. The children are in a constant state of transition, not sure when they'll see their mother let alone be able to live with her again.
Kim Wilson takes a moment to herself after finding out that Ohio's Children Protective Services would not allow Jenna and Ayden to travel to Michigan to live with their mother. “Legally we have no rights, other than they’re in our care right now. It’s not a very good feeling; I don’t think it’s fair,” Kim said. “I think we should be allowed to be their grandparents in every sense of the word. We are basically babysitters right now because the children depend completely on us for their needs, but we have no say in their future.”
Darren attempts to keep his emotions from the children when things bother him, he hates Kim's daughter for the position that she has put the children in but understands it's important for the kids to love their mom no matter what.
Darren drives back towards the house after taking Ayden and Jenna on a ride up a road to an old cemetery after he completed mowing the lawn. Darren attempts to share as much of his knowlege of the outdoors with the children, he pointed out different types of trees on the trip.
Darren holds out a caterpillar for Jenna and Ayden to touch before he releases onto a tree in the family's yard.
Jenna brushes her face with Kim's braid.
“It’s a terrible thing. It breaks my heart. It makes me so mad that I wanna cry,” Darren said. “Crying is the best thing that I can do cuz there is nothing else that I can do to make this easier on them."
Ayden curls into Jenna on the living room couch after the kids talked with their mom on the phone. Jenna and Ayden’s mom, Angel, currently lives in Michigan and has trouble finding time to drive down to Ohio to visit. The children don't know, but Angel has a warrant out for her arrest in Ohio which is the reason visits are infrequent and short.
“Those two little ones will always have a home here, I’ll do everything I can, and if it’s the last thing I do it’s to make sure that they’re always welcome here and have a home to come back to," Darren said about the children's precarious position.
After raising two children, Darren and Kim Wilson represent the changing roles of grandparenting in southeast Ohio. Following Kim’s daughter’s drug related custody forfeiture of her two children, Jenna and Ayden, the grandparents find themselves as parents for the second time around. Their decision has them confronting the challenges of raising young children while negotiating the issues around aging and their independence.
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