She’s known for her countless books and weekly show The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network.
And in Ree Drummond’s new book, Frontier Follies, she reveals she has a foster son named Jamar.
The cookbook author/TV star shared an excerpt on her website, with the title ‘Bonus Kid.’
Ree, 51, said she couldn’t talk about him prior because of state law and restrictions but now that he is 18, it no longer applies.
So sweet: She’s known for her countless books and weekly show The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. And in Ree Drummond’s new book, Frontier Follies, she reveals she has a foster son named Jamar
In addition, Ree wrote: ‘I’m now writing about Jamar because after a year-and-a-half of living in our house, he is an inextricable part of our wacky family.’
Adding: ‘And it’s become increasingly strange for me not to talk about him. He’s eighteen now, which means the state agency restrictions no longer apply–and most notably, he told me he’s tired of feeling like we’re trying to hide him from the world.’
Ree and Ladd have four children: sons Bryce, 18, and Todd, 16, and daughters Alex, 23, and Paige, 21.
She wrote that Jamar came to be their ‘foster son was entirely situational.’
Ree explained that previously, fostering a kid was not something she and husband Ladd every felt called to do but that they couldn’t ignore Jamar’s circumstances.
She said ‘long story short, all six foot five inches of him showed up at our house one afternoon, bag in hand, ready to move in.’
Ladd had met him a few times at high school football practice and had the initial idea that he should live with them.
A few days after his arrival, Jamar got into a bad accident with an ATV, needing a skin graft on his foot as well as a double tendon repair surgery.
Jamar had dreams to continue his football career and the injury was a ‘dicey, scary time’ because it was six weeks he needed to heal.
He ended up gaining thirty pounds during this time because she said she was trying to nuture him when he was bedridden; he has since shed the thirty pounds he gained.
So cute: Ladd had met him a few times at high school football practice and had the initial idea that he should live with them
Due to the injury, it ‘forced all of us to get pretty darn close, and fast,’ adding that she changed his foot dressing every day, gave his medicine, checked on him through the night.
Ladd took him to his doctor appointments and physical therapy session, while her sons Bryce and Todd helped him in and out of bed as well as helping him wrap his foot in plastic before a shower and spent time with him.
‘We were all up in Jamar’s business, and if there’d been any hesitation on any of our parts to interact and get comfortable with one another, his injury quickly knocked down those walls and gave us all a reason to come together.’
Adding: ‘Jamar had to learn to trust us, which wasn’t easy. But again, crash course.’
Ree sweetly called him ‘my bonus son’: He’s larger than life, has a hilarious laugh, and is extremely smart – both book and street. He’s a great kid who’s overcome some difficulties in his life, not to mention a tough accident (and a foster mom who overfed him and unintentionally tried to turn him in a fly fisherman).’
Cute: Ree and Ladd have four children: sons Bryce, 18, and Todd, 16, and daughters Alex, 23, and Paige, 21