“When my oldest daughter was a teenager, she always thought she would adopt. Over the past three or four years their family has taken in about 12 foster kids. They adopted two little boys and will be adopting another little girl, probably next year. They just feel like this is their ministry.

“Now with our children all grown and out of the house, my husband and I are thinking about hosting a kid from the Boys and Girls Harbor in La Porte. You can take them for a weekend or for holidays to get them out of that orphanage type setting for a while.

“I feel for those kinds of kids. I was adopted by my grandparents when I was 6 months old. I never met my real mother. My father was in and out of my life. I kind of knew he was my dad, but nobody really said anything. I haven’t seen him for about 30 years. It’s kind of sad. I’d like to know what happened to him.

“I found some cousins recently. They’re trying to dig up some pictures of my mother. She had polio and was crippled in one leg. She died in 1975. I’m originally from Indiana, so I’m hoping to go back there next year, look into some things and see some cousins I’ve never met. I’m hoping they find some pictures of my mom. I really want to at least know what she looked like.”

— Kathy Sickle

The post Grandmother reflects on adoption, foster children appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“A lot of people think I’m older than 16, but I don’t feel like it. I’ve been handed alcoholic beverages before, but I say, ‘Hey, I’m only 16, man. I don’t want you to get in trouble.’ I think it’s kind of cool and flattering in some sense. Maybe it’s my build or my facial hair that fools them.”

Do you consider yourself a mature person?
“I think so, although I can turn it off and on. For instance, I was just playing Pokémon Go. And I really like funny-looking backpacks, video games and stuff like that. I can be pretty immature sometimes. But when it comes to school and work, I can just (snaps his finger) turn on the switch and be mature. I think it has a lot to do with parenting. My dad told me, ‘If you have a job to do, do it. If you don’t do it right, they’re not going to trust you to do the job again.’ I haven’t forgotten that.”

— Brandon Galvan

The post Maturity kicks in when it comes to work, school appeared first on The Baytown Project.