Nathan came to us when he was seven, just before his eighth birthday. His mother was taken into police custody after an altercation in a bar. Nathan and his two brothers (ages 9 & 10) were often left alone all night while their mother partied. Sometimes their mother didn't get home in time to get them off to school.

Although very bright, Nathan had some severe behavior issues at school. Very soon after placement, these behaviors ended. (We were amazed at what the school personnel told us…behaviors we never saw.) Nathan assimilated into our family very quickly and loved the stability and consistency. More than anything, Nathan loved that we allowed him to have friends. He had his first (friends–invited) birthday party with us and really enjoys having friends over and sleepovers. Nathan has been in the foster care system for over three years now (the whole time with us) and will probably not see a resolution in his case for another 8 – 12 months.

From Nathan. My name is Nathan. I have green eyes, brown hair, and glasses. My favorite sport is baseball. My favorite food is chicken. My favorite fruit is strawberries. My best friend's name is Brody. The best things about being in foster care is inviting my friends over and playing baseball. I like swimming, playing video games, watching TV, playing around, reading, doing math and logic, and playing sports. I used to have a lot of anger. The only way to play the computer is by earning time and you earn time by working and doing good deeds. In the summer time we have summer school. Summer school is when you go to your school in the summer and do a lot of fun stuff. Well, that's most of the things about me.