A Texas boy currently in foster care expressed his hope that he would be adopted and shared that it would be “fun to have brothers and sisters.”
Paul, 10, of Houston, shared with People how he wishes he had a family to support him, “teach” him and help him “grow up.” His interview with the outlet comes during National Adoption Month.
More than 117,000 children and teenagers across the nation are hoping to be adopted, with almost 6,000 in Texas, according to the Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates website.
“I want them to help me and teach me to grow up,” Paul told the outlet.
“It would be fun to have brothers and sisters I could play with,” Paul added. “If I have big brothers they can play with me and teach me to play video games and soccer.”
Paul, an avid soccer lover with ambitions to become a soccer player, ended up in the custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) after his parents lost their parental rights, the agency told the outlet.
Jessalyn Miller-Allen, a conservatorship supervisor with the DFPS told the outlet that being adopted “means a lot for children.”
“Being adopted takes a layer of worry away from the child because he or she will have a family willing to provide for them long term,” Miller-Allen explained. “The child’s confidence level increases because they have been selected by a family. They will be loved.”
Similarly, Paul told the outlet why he feels it is important for kids to have a family, adding that kids can’t “do it” on their own and need a “forever family” to help them.
“Kids need someone to help them and to take care of them because we cannot do it ourselves,” he explained. “Grownups that want to be a forever family can help kids and teach them how to act good, help them with school and be there for them.”
