Click to view

De'Andre

Age: 12

De'Andre is a friendly, bright, and very likable fifth grade boy who likes pets, music, basketball, football, and kickball. He is a fast runner and a pretty quick learner. He likes to ride his bike, take a walk, fish, camp, swim or play. He likes family outings like cookouts, going out to eat, visiting water parks or zoos. He enjoys learning new things at school, especially in math and history. He values his Christian heritage, and would appreciate a like-minded family. He says he likes to be treated with respect, kindness, friendliness, and caring from his friends and teachers. He says that good friends joke around for fun, but watch out for each other.

He attends an on-site school in the group facility for boys where he now lives, in the same building with his older brother Umar and younger brother Tony. In age they are approximately three years apart. Sometimes De'Andre considers being adopted alone, only keeping in touch with his brothers periodically. But often he dreams of a permanent family for all three of them together for keeps through adoption. Sometimes now he challenges his brothers to running races, and De'Andre claims he's fastest on his feet. The brothers have pillow fights at a sleepover and like to shoot hoops or play games together. They all like music, Jackson Five rock or good rap music. De'Andre would like to have a disco ball and a guitar or drums for rhythm to practice a few cool dance moves.

De'Andre is also good at spelling. He demonstrates by spelling cheetah, his favorite animal, and he shows a book with the big cat's photo. Then, with a big twinkle in his eyes, he tries a very long word: mischievous. He reads library books for fun, and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is his favorite. The boy in the book, like him, is the middle brother in a family, adjusting to life in middle school. Little-rascal-style pranks or adventures in books or TV shows usually make De'Andre smile. He likes cats and dogs for pets. He likes to go to a water park to ride the big slides or to cannon-ball into the pool with a huge splash. He laughs and holds his nose to demonstrate.

He is a boy who loves either playing football or watching it. De'Andre follows lots of sports teams, but especially the Steelers, the Yankees, and the Miami Heat. He dreams of becoming a wide receiver or safety like some of his favorite football players. De'Andre has a hefty build and shoulders for a sixth grader, already standing over 5'. Football would be a dream career for him, but so would creating video games. He is already sure about this; he wants to be a good dad, father of a boy and a girl. He wants to be a nice, generous dad who would never try to hurt either his wife or his children.

De'Andre has other thoughts about family life and lots of classic food favorites. He likes chicken nuggets, burgers, fries, mac and cheese, pizza, and mashed potatoes. This all-American eater would polish off a meal of picnic or comfort food with carrots or greens and then candy for dessert. He imagines family fun indoors and out, celebrating major holidays with good food, treats, and some presents to give or receive.

De'Andre has had a rocky start in life, but he feels ready now for a smoother path. He'd like a stable, active family life and a balance of routine and family fun. While he thrives on one-on-one adult attention, and needs strong support, attention, and encouragement, he also wants to stay in touch with or live with his brothers. What do you think about adopting De'Andre? Or maybe having three sons? Is this the situation you've been watching and preparing for?