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Mom accused of abusing 11 adopted kids
Wed, 2009-12-02 15:05 - Niels
By: Kristen Cosby/ActionNewsJax.com
November 30, 2009
PONTE VEDRA, Fla.-- A Ponte Vedra woman whose adoption agency was shut down twice is now accused of abusing her own 11 adopted kids.
Tedi Hedstrom and her ex- husband have 14 children. They have three grown biological children and 11 adopted kids who still live at home. They adopted their kids from America, China, India and Guatemala.
Hedstrom's husband, Donald, divorced her this month after a 29-year marriage. He got sole custody of the children.
Action News obtained the restraining order Donald Hedstrom filed against her prior to their divorce.
Donald Hedstrom claims in the order Tedi Hedstrom hit their 17 year-old daughter off her crutches. He said she called her kids "orphans" and things "too mean to say". He also said she hit and pushed him.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has a report Hedstrom violated the restraining order by calling her kids from the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club.
Hedstrom ran two adoption agencies out of her Ponte Vedra home- one under a Florida license and later one under a Georgia license. The state shut both down.
The Department of Children and Families told Action News parents complained it took years to get a child and when they finally got one they had many diseases.
Hedstrom's husband later dropped the restraining order, claiming the issue was worked out in family court.
Divorce papers show Hedstrom can see her kids again if she changes her behavior.
Documents show she was Baker Acted earlier this year after taking a large amount of pills.
Tedi Hedstrom's attorney never returned our calls for comment. Her husband's attorney had no comment.
Comments
More than 14 kids
The Hedstrom's have more than 14 kids. At one point the number was at 20 or 21 with the last adoption in December of last year. I would like to see the social worker who approved them to adopt exposed.
This didn't happen in a vacuum.
Approving adoptions
I was thinking similar thoughts, only my thoughts extended to Hedstrom's role in other adoptions. I imagine a very good selling point to PAP's going to an adoption agency is saying something like, "I really know what I'm doing -- look, I was approved 14 times!", suggesting some sort of skill and ability.
It's just interesting to note although child trafficking has been linked-back to Hedstrom, [See examples one, two and three] her adoption agency business (which went under the names of , Tedi Bear Adoptions, which later got re-named to Adoption Blessings), was shut-down because too many complaints were made. Too many PAP's paid tens of thousands of dollars, but got no child, as promised.
It bothers me very much knowing an adoption agency will lose it's license because it doesn't deliver to a paying customer, but business can go on as usual, even if children are stolen and/or placed in homes where one or both paying clients are not all that great with kids that have many different needs. Seems the only real skill a successful person in profit-making Adoptionland needs is two-fold -- know how to do a quick name change, and how not to get caught by intolerant authorities.
People forget, in all types
People forget, in all types of business, even the adoption business, mediocrity pays. It pays big.
Tedi back in the news!!
"PONTE VEDRA, Fla.-- A Ponte Vedra woman whose adoption agency was shut down twice is now accused of abusing her own 11 adopted kids."
Surprise, Surprise!
At least Ms. Hedstrom will NEVER open another agency again.