George was born in August 2005 and abandoned when he was 2 months old.  He was initially diagnosed with low muscular tension but is now said to be healthy. George was hosted in the US in 2014 and although his host family fell in love and moved forward with his adoption, they had to back out.  While George was in the US, he was active and fun and got along well with his host family’s daughters.

SPECIAL FOCUS CHILD RELEASED TO THE SHARED LIST

Info from George’s host family below: 

Please describe the child, including the child’s physical traits, age, height, weight and overall demeanor.

“George is a curious, intelligent, young boy who easily wins the hearts over everyone he meets. He has an infectious laugh and smile. He is a healthy boy, who did not show any signs of physical or cognitive challenges. He loved to play with legos- creating animals to display. When asked to try new things, although nervous, he approached everything with a positive and eager attitude. He was afraid to sleep alone at night. Being used to having other children around made it difficult for him to sleep alone. Having daughters, we couldn’t let him sleep with them. But as a family, we read to him, sang to him, and sat by him until he fell asleep. As the days went on, he became better about not needing everyone with him and having only one person.”

Describe the child’s adjustment into your home and family.  How did the interaction change during the course of the visit?  Were there sibling rivalry issues that had to be dealt with?

George quickly became integrated into our family and with our close family friends.  He loved to play with our daughters, especially in the pool. He trusted them to teach him how to put his head under water- which he determined he knew how to swim after that! He also trusted us when he tried riding a pony for the first time and going into the ocean to swim. He met our friends’ son, who is his age, and had his first sleepover. George was so excited that when he arrived at 3pm, George was ready to go to bed! We had to explain that they would play, swim, eat, and then go to sleep later that night. He and our friend’s son made picture frames to put in the picture I took of them. George carried it around for the rest of his visit. George enjoyed spending time with our daughters, trying to do everything they did. He quickly became their “little brother.” He called them his sisters in Chinese and us his Babba and Mommy. George and the girls never had any experience with rivalry. The age and gender differences allowed for them all to have no challenges.

Share your thoughts about the child’s intelligence level, including memory, ability to learn new skills and rules, problem solving and reasoning skills.

George is an intelligent young boy who showed no signs of any learning challenges. Although he did not speak English, he was able to communicate through Chinese- my daughter knows enough to get by and through an interrupter- with clear thoughts. His memory was shown through games and conversation. George is able to problem solve and follow rules. He did, however, have a comical sense where he believed some behaviors were funny that are not in our culture. It was not something we were concerned would become a problem and could be worked with as he learned what is acceptable and what’s not and with maturity. By the time we had to say goodbye, George was very closes to riding a bike without training wheels! He just needed to feel a little more confident about himself. But he was determined! He also began showing an improvement in basic swimming skills, which amazed us all! He was determined to be able to swim with the other kids in the deep end without help!

Describe the child’s emotional status, including the child’s ability to adjust to new surroundings and people, communicate in a different language, accept and give affection, and ability to attach and bond.

George, is a loving boy who just made us laugh! He brought so much more joy into our family. He adjusted to our family and friends quickly. We love looking at all of our pictures with him! He is eager to please and to help around the house. He likes to have things put away and neat, but can also be a young boy and get messy! Although he did not speak English, he was determined to communicate with us. He enjoyed playing games where we learned Chinese and he learned English words. We used pictures and Chinese/English words on flashcards hung on the wall to help. George loved to give hugs and showed empathy when someone was hurt. He would try to make the person laugh if he thought he/she was upset.

Describe the child’s physical abilities, including fine and gross motor skills.  Is the child a risk taker?  Does the child enjoy new physical tasks and activities?  Can the child ride a bike?  

George loves sports and would like to try them all out. Physically he showed no signs of fine and/or gross motor challenges. If there are any, it’s our opinion that it’s only because he has not had a chance to work on them. His report stated that he had some upper body strength issues. While he was with us, we were able to observe it, but again we think it’s due to a lack in activities that would strengthen them. We saw him begin to improve just by swimming and running around every day.

Describe the child’s social skills.  Is the child shy around new people?  Does the child enjoy his or her peers?  Are peer interactions appropriate?  How does the child respond to adults?  Does the child act out if he/she does not get what he wants?

George is not a shy boy! He loves to make people laugh! He bonded quickly to all of our family and friends. His behaviors were always appropriate towards peers. George only acted out when trying to get him to sleep. He did swear in Chinese and threw fits, but after speaking with our translator we realized it was because he was afraid of being alone. Given time to adjust and patience for trust, he was able to work through much of this. If he had any issues, it was because of a lack of understanding due to language and cultural differences. He loved our dogs, even though he was a little nervous around them. He had to learn how to interact with them appropriately as he was confused about having them as pets!

What activities and toys does the child enjoy?  Please share some stories and activities that you have done as a family.

Leggos, swimming, biking, the ocean! We visited the shore- he had never seen the ocean. He loved going in it, once he knew we’d keep him safe. He LOVED the movie Wall-e. We all had fun quoting how Wall-e and Eva spoke to each other and watched it over and over again! He really liked being read to – reading is big in our family, so it was fun for all! He also loves to draw and shared many pictures with us. George loves to have his picture taken in funny poses with friends. He would look at them all of the time!

What information did the child share regarding family circumstances or any other information that would be helpful to an adoptive family?

George did not speak of his life in China much. He mentioned he lived with one of the orphanage families that have two daughters. He also stated that he didn’t want to live in China because it has nothing for him there. George is looking for a loving forever home where he can get a great education, love, support, and have an opportunity to make something of himself.

Whether you plan to adopt or not, what advice would you give Cradle of Hope about the type of family in which the child should be placed?  What makes you think this?

George would be best in a family with other children close to his age who are able to be very active. He is always on the go and ready for an adventure! He will need patience in learning cultural etiquette. His family needs to be patient with him and show him that he can trust them without hesitation. The family will need to be able to put boundaries into place and follow through with them so that George understands what is acceptable and what’s not.

What was your biggest joy and biggest challenge while hosting the child?

The challenge was saying goodbye to George when he left. He has made such a difference in our lives and we are so blessed to have had him in our home. He has a beautiful soul and an amazing spirit. Given the right home and family, he will be able to overcome any challenges and become an amazing adult who will accomplish anything he sets his mind to!

JULY 2016 UPDATE BELOW: 

George has average intelligence compared to his peers and is in third grade at a school in his community. His favorite subjects are language and math. His personality is active, open minded, outgoing and easy to communicate. He often smiles, talks to friends, loves drawing, running and kicking balls. George lives with a foster family and has great self-care ability.

In a recent video, George was learning to write musical notes on a whiteboard. We have not seen any other children of his age tackling a similar project.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE QUESTIONS BELOW FOR MORE INFO:  

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS ENTERED CORRECTLY BEFORE SUBMITTING.  If you don’t have a reply from this web site within 24 hours you may have provided an incorrect email address.