Father of 15 treated to Father's Day dinner

MCDONOUGH, Ga. — A McDonough man celebrated Father's Day in a big way – with his 15 children.
 
Jerome Adkins was treated to an Italian dinner at the Italian Oven in Stockbridge by his wife and 13 of his 15 children Sunday.
 
Adkins is the proud father to Brenndon, 24, Taylor, 21, Christian, 21, Jonathan, 19, Alexandria, 18, Mackenzie, 16, Victoria, 15, Elisabeth, 13, Olivia, 11, Danielle, 9, Jeremiah, 7, Joshua, 5, Jordan, 4, Faith, 2, and Hope, 3 months.
 
He said he works tirelessly to provide for them all and his wife LaChelle of 21 years.  
 
"I always knew I wanted a lot of children and was fortunate to find a wife who could bless me with that desire," Jerome said. "My mission is to provide for them all and be available to support them in as many activities that I can. Our arrangement with my wife as a homemaker makes it possible and is a sacrifice financially because our income would be double if she worked because she has a marketing degree from Indiana University."
 
"He has an amazing personality and makes parenthood a joy and his insight helps us solve our parenting dilemmas successfully," LaChelle said.
 
"We are so excited to take him out and show our appreciation for such a great father. We usually are unable to go out because of his work schedule or military training but he retired from military in March 2013 and has the day off on Sunday (only after we attend church, of which he is the pastor)," LaChelle said. "He sacrifices so much for our family being the only breadwinner and our love for him is infinite."
 
"Our father has always told us that it is important to do your best in all that you do and strive for excellence. He has also told us that we can do anything we set our mind to. This philosophy has given me the confidence to step out and start my own disc jockey business," said the couple's son Jonathan.
 
"We are used to our father working constantly so this is a nice change to celebrate as a family," said the Adkins' oldest daughter Taylor, who is a senior at the University of Georgia.

WSBTV