5 On Your Side and the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition is celebrating a milestone. Five hundred children featured on our adoption series “A Place to Call Home” have found their forever family.
Darnail is a child who was featured on the program back in 2021. His family says they fell in love with him the second they saw his face on our newscast.
The bond between 12-year-old Darnail and 11-year-old Tyler is strong. They say they’re best friends, but thanks to their parents, they’re more than friends. They’re brothers.
“I finally have someone to play with,” said Tyler.
It feels as though they’ve known each other all their lives, but they’ve only known each other about two years. In 2021, Darnail was spending his fifth year in foster care, a place he describes as “not great.”
Things quickly changed for Darnail once he was featured on “A Place to Call Home.” The Tarantino family lives in Arlington, Virginia, but Darnail’s video made its way all the way from St. Louis to their computer screens.
“So, we saw him on ‘A Place to Call Home,’ and we just remember that he had a huge smile. His cheeks were, we love his cheeks!” said his father, Frederick Tarantino.
“It was almost love at first sight,” said his mother, Laura Tarantino.
The Tarantinos spent weekends flying back and forth from Arlington to St. Louis for three months to get to know Darnail.
“It was really nice. They took me trick-or-treating. When I first saw mom, I was like, ‘When can I start calling you mom?’ and she was like, ‘Whenever you want.’ And that’s when I started calling her mom,” said Darnail.
“We finally became his foster parents right before Christmas,” said Frederick Tarantino.
Darnail moved in full-time with the Tarantinos when they became his foster parents, and in July 2022 his adoption was finalized.
“He is so smart and so funny. He makes me laugh every single day. Both of them do,” said Frederick Tarantino.
Darnail’s story is just one that is featured in a special show called “500 Forever Families.” It’s streaming now on our 5+ streaming and YouTube channels.