Witnessing the healing power of a mother's touch

At Coffee Traders downtown one morning, Robin Rice of Whitefish is accosted by two other women. Rice, who describes herself as "a round woman with a puffball on top," accepts coffee from one woman and compliments from them both. They say things to her like, "I'm a big fan," and she thanks them and they chat for a moment about their children.

But what's so remarkable about Rice? A lot, according to Janie Green, who owns American Karate Academy.

"She's taken kids who have been severely mentally abused and neglected and made them her own children," Green said. "It's amazing to me that they've taken these kids into their own home. I don't know how they do it. I can't imagine."

Rice and her husband Brandon moved to Whitefish from California 13 years ago. Shortly afterward, she saw a classified ad for therapeutic foster-care parents. Because of their prior experience working with adults with disabilities, and since they couldn't have children of their own naturally, foster care seemed like a natural progression.

"We saw there were kids who needed homes," Rice said. "We saw a need and felt a calling, and God blessed us."

The first child placed in their home was a 10-year-old boy who was placed into a treatment facility in Texas after a couple of years with the Rices. Next came MacKenzee, who was barely walking or talking at 18 months old. Now 12, she was to become the Rices' first adopted child.

"Her behaviors were severe enough that all we did in the beginning was teach her how to play," Rice recalled.

After years of therapy and preschooling at Head Start and living with other children in the Rice home, MacKenzee was joined by a sibling group, Riley and Destiny. The Rices were in the process of adopting the two when they got a big surprise.

"We were six or seven years into the foster care process at this point," Rice said. "Our caseworker called and said, 'We need to chat.'"

At the meeting, Rice's caseworker explained that Riley and Destiny's birth mother was expecting again. Since she had lost her rights with the other children, she wouldn't be allowed to keep the baby either.

"She reminded me that I'd always wanted a baby," Rice said. "So I said, 'Why not?'"

By that time, the Rices had formed a relationship with Riley and Destiny's birth parents at their twice-weekly supervised visits. Facilitated by the Rices, the couple was trying to regain custody of their children.

"You get to know the parents as people instead of what you read in a file," Rice said. "You really get to connect with them."

But in spite of that connection and best intentions, baby Sage joined the rest of her family at the Rice home at only 12 hours old. Today, she's five, Riley is 10 and Destiny is seven.

The Rices have what's known as an open adoption, where the biological parents and adoptive parents communicate.

"We are very, very open," Rice said. "And some people think we're too open. Some people wonder why we let these abusive parents spend time with these kids, but we have bonded with them. We build and foster their relationships with their biological parents. They're a part of our family unit."

Over the years, the Rice family unit has housed about 12 other foster children — most of whom keep in contact with them today. To make sure their foster kids could always call, the Rices have kept their phone numbers the same through the years.

"A couple of the kids aren't in the state anymore, but the ones around here, we do see them occasionally," Rice said. "A couple I see weekly, some I see only in crisis, and some I only see around town."

Rice said she can't say enough nice things about American Karate Academy, Head Start and the teachers at Muldown Elementary School. On the other hand, the staff of those entities would probably have plenty of nice things to say about Rice herself, but she's humble about her actions.

"We're not special," Rice said. "We're just a different form of a family."