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BENJAMIN (10/94) is an affable, charming young teen who was born in Ethiopia and has been in the United States for just a few years. Although English is his second language and his vocabulary is modest, he is personable and well-liked by many who know him. Benjamin, who gets along well with other kids most of the time, enjoys playing soccer and basketball, shooting hoops, and swimming. He also enjoys doing chores, such as working in the yard and stacking wood. Benjamin is always very happy and fun to be around, when a significant adult spends one-on-one time with him. When more adults are present, he can sometimes find himself getting in a bit of a power struggle. While Benjamin seems to align himself with the men in his life, his foster mom reports that, as she has spent more one-on-one time with him, they have become closer and he has become more responsive to her and to her parental authority.

Once Benjamin’s education got underway in the United States, it became apparent that he has some learning disabilities; they are now being dealt with by special education supports in the classroom for reading, writing, and math. Benjamin’s learning disabilities are not related to English being his second language. And it is important to note that his ‘emotional intelligence” is considered to be very high.

There is no birth certificate or birth information on Benjamin, but he is thought to be about 14 to 15-years old. What we do know is that Benjamin and his two siblings were living in an orphanage in Ethiopia when they were adopted by Christian missionaries and brought to the United States a few years ago. Although not yet legally free, his adoptive parents will relinquish their parental rights only after a permanent family has been found for Benjamin.

In his original adoptive home, Benjamin was the stern, older brother to his younger sister and brother. Being the middle child in his current foster home has proven to be very helpful to him. His older foster sibling is a role model for him, and Benjamin tends to copy that sibling’s behavior, vocabulary and values. Benjamin has also learned to be cooperative with his younger foster sibling. Although the inappropriate touching behavior Benjamin exhibited prior to coming into foster care has not been evidenced in his foster home, it is part of his mental health treatment program for there to be a safety plan in place in the home and at school to provide the structure and attentive supervision from parents and teachers that help him stay on track. Such safety plans will be important components when he is in his new adoptive family and school, too.

Benjamin’s worker looks for to talking with two-parent mom and dad couples, where the dad is very involved in parenting, as well as single dads or two-dad households. Benjamin is a youth who needs to have a highly committed family that will hang in there with him over the rough spots and truly welcome him into their midst with open arms and open hearts.

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