Coral Springs Mother To Celebrate Mother’s Day With Foster Children

Published May 8th, 2008

By Nicol Jenkins
Editor

This Mother’s Day holds a special meaning for Coral Springs mom Wendy Berkowitz.

As a single mother, Berkowitz cherishes every moment spent with her children and plans to celebrate motherhood this holiday.

Her enthusiasm comes from being a new mother to two foster children, one a 6-month- old girl named Alexa and the other a 3-month-old girl named Holly.

“Mother’s Day is coming, and I’m a mother. I have two little girls that think I’m the world, and I look at them and think they’re the world,” said the local mom. “No matter how bad the day is, when I hold them it makes the day better.”

However seven years ago, she had a different perspective. Being recently divorced and constantly traveling for business, motherhood was far from her mind. But in 2001, Berkowitz opened her own business called Amazing Accessories, a wholesale retail business for ladies accessories, and began working from home.

“Once my business was well established, I decided it was a good time to be a mother. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t married,” she said.

Her answer came when her mother introduced her to JAFCO (Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options).

“I decided to do foster care as a means of being a mother,” Berkowitz said.
In 2006 on Mother’s Day and her birthday, Berkowitz received a call that would change her life forever. A 10-day-old baby girl named Samantha needed a home.

“I brought her home two days later. I saw all the firsts, the first smile, eating, crawling, laughing, talking, sleeping through the night,” she said.

However a year later, Samantha returned to her birth father. But Berkowitz was hooked and when she got another call to become a foster parent, she jumped at the chance once again. This time, she brought a 3-month-old girl home and shortly after a 9-day-old girl.

“They are such beautiful babies. All they needed was a mother and tender loving care,” she said.

Berkowitz has grown to call them her own and has a huge playroom for the girls. She even dresses them in matching outfits and of course each girl has at least 20 pairs of shoes, the mother jokes.

As a single mother of two foster children under the age of 1, Berkowitz admits motherhood can be challenging but rewarding. She adds that her mother and JAFCO have been a great support.

“Most people think I’m crazy, and at times I think I’m crazy too,” she jokes, adding, “But somehow things just seem to work out.”

She added, “I treat them like they’re my own and I love them like they are my own. These children had a really rough start and to look at them today you would never know.”

As for future children, the local mom says two children are probably her limit for now, but would consider more children down the road.

“If anyone is sitting on the fence,” she said. “Take a leap of faith.”