Family Opens Up About Life with 30 Foster Children and Values
This is not a school or a summer camp but a rather unique family, with thirty boys and girls aged between two and thirty-two years old, and with a mother and father, the spouses Germana and Giampaolo Brizzolari, who live in Cavriana, in the Mantova area, and own a bakery in the town center of the lakeside village. At a time when families are in crisis and birth rates are at zero, the Brizzolari spouses have chosen a life that seems to come from the past, surrounding themselves with thirty children and choosing a path of dedication to teaching normality and tranquility, with days marked by the smiles of one of the many children who ended up in the Brizzolari home.
A life choice based on foster care
An adventure begun many years ago, driven by the desire, or sense of responsibility, to share with others what they have and perhaps in abundance: thus Germana and Giampaolo decided, despite already having children of their own, to make themselves available for foster care. “It all started with the first yes,” Germana recounts, “foster care is the easiest thing in the world; I was the first to bring it up, but I couldn’t have done anything without my husband’s support and participation.”
Thus, almost by chance, this extraordinary life journey begins, certainly supported by the possibility of facing its many stages but also, and above all, by the willingness not to back down. “You could say that our lives have been literally transformed by foster care; my husband and I would change nothing about what we have done and experienced,” explains the lady, who is currently at the sea in Puglia with twenty-seven of her thirty children.
Media attention and reflections on family life
Today, the Brizzolari family has attracted attention from the national press and media: an interest that is beginning to weigh heavily and which the direct parties involved understand only to an extent. “There is nothing extraordinary about what has been done, except for the number of children; but one or ten don’t matter; what really counts is how you live and the environment in which you move. And in our family, there is nothing special,” she says.
They have five biological children, five adopted, and twenty in foster care; some of these latter cases, over the years, have resulted in the children returning to their original families. “A separation often accompanied by pain, as is normal,” Germana explains, “but it’s even more normal for children to reconnect with their parents when possible; we have kept very good relationships of friendship and trust with all of them, and nothing has been lost.”
Just before the birth of her last child, now eleven years old, Germana made a definitive choice for family life: a decision she does not regret at all. “Women who give up watching their children grow, especially when their economic circumstances allow it, I think don’t realize what they are missing. Always moving, constantly trying to look beautiful and in shape. I don’t think this is real independence, and we should question whether it’s really worth it, why and where we are rushing so much,” she concludes.
Impact on children and transmitted values
Germana shares how her children, including those with disabilities, have taught her about the rhythms of life. “I have a girl with Down syndrome. From her and her timing, I learned to listen to others, to see things differently. We have grown together with our children, and the beautiful part of this big lesson is that many more things await us,” she says.
The mobile phone occasionally drops the line, but the calm voice of this mother communicates more than any technology. In Puglia, twenty-seven children from two to twenty-seven years old are enjoying the sea; life and its unfolding run and laugh along the coasts, a spectacle Germana would never miss because, she explains as she departs, “Watching what they do is the most beautiful thing; the vacation gives you time to observe and understand through their eyes who your children are. Don’t miss this opportunity,” she advises.
G giuditta Bolognesi