A Child is Waiting: Lance's Favorite Place is All of the Outdoors

By Honey Murray for MediaNews Group

While many fifteen-year-old guys spend their after-school time playing video games, Lance – who enjoys those games, also – much prefers to be outside, actively exploring the natural world.

“Lance is very knowledgeable about nature,” his worker says. “He loves to fish, and he remembers every fish he’s ever caught!

“During a recent walk through the woods together, Lance suddenly stopped, reached down, and picked a green leaf from a tiny patch he had spotted on the ground. ‘Here,’ he said, ‘smell this. You can chew it! It’s spearmint.’ I asked him how he had known that. ‘I have an eye for that,’ he said. ‘I can identify the leaves.’

“Lance is intuitive with nature,” his worker continues, “and he thrives outside. He really loves animals, too, and will often share random facts about them, asking, ‘Do you know about…?’

“He is fun, outgoing, helpful, energetic and easy-to-please. He likes to learn new things, to help out, and to be assured he is doing well.”

Lance also enjoys board and card games and being with friends, and he engages in extra-curricular, cross-country sports.

“Lance is a guy who is also very crafty and artistic,” his worker shares. “He builds things with Legos and loves to paint and create things. He can be really silly sometimes and knows how to enjoy himself.”

“I like to joke around,” Lance says. “I like jokes and playing games with friends.

“In school, my favorite subject is math…how to do addition, subtraction, multiplication. My favorite thing to do on the weekend is to go to church.

“When I’m and adult, I’d like to be a police officer or in the army.”

Meanwhile, Lance maintains a positive attitude in his hopes of being adopted and having a forever family.

“Lance would do best with a two-parent family or with a single dad who would be a strong male figure. Lance has said he would prefer to be an only child. But, most importantly, he needs reassurance that he is doing well and to feel that he is being heard.”

“With a family,” Lance says, “I would like to go golfing, swimming, hiking….

“Being adopted would mean that I get to have a family. It means I get to have a place to live and to be thankful for the things I have.”

For more information on adoption, fostering or mentoring, contact Children’s Services of Southfield at 855-694-7301, or visit www.orchards.org.