The Smith Family Profile

We would like to adopt a boy who is less than 10 years old, preferably between 5-9. We prefer to adopt a child of Black background but are open to biracial/mixed raced background.

We are open to children with (BIRTH HISTORY-Low Birth Weight or Prem; mild, hearing impaired; behind because attendance; speech/lang Impairment; diabetes or sickle cell traits.

We are willing to maintain contact with Foster Parent, relatives or siblings. We do not mind having contact with the child's biological parents (by email ) provided the parent was/is not abusive to the child. We do not mind having continuing contact with the child's former foster parents, by email or by phone or by mail or in person . In general, We would love to adopt a little AA boy who is very active and loves to learn, without severe behavioral problems. We are able care for mild health, learning , or behavioral problems.

Introduction

Hi! We are Thaddeus and Yolanda Smith. We live in Chesapeake, VA with our 9 year old daughter Zahara. Although we are not originally from VA, we have lived in Chesapeake for the last 17 years. Thad retired from the Navy after 28 years of honorable service.

Yolanda loves reading, studying the bible, cooking, exercising, spending time with my family, and traveling. Thad loves studying the bible, watching sports, playing video games, I work part-time as a Registered Nurse and have a flexible work schedule. My husband works full-time for US Govt as a IT Engineer and has a flexible work schedule.

We believe that God is above all and we are to obey His commands as outlined in the scriptures. We treat all with respect and dignity. We are to help those who are in need. We are members of the Church of Christ. We believe that Jesus is the son of God and follow the scriptures. Our faith is what sustains us and we are very active in our local congregation. Thad is a Deacon in our congregation and serves a minister of Education. Yolanda is a Sunday school teacher. Zahara is active in the bible bowl sponsored by the local congregations. We attend church 3 times per week.

Thad-the Pittsburg Steelers, San Antonio Spurs, action movies, gospel music Yolanda-Dallas Cowboys, NY Giants, San Antonio Spurs, LA Lakers, R and B music, traditional gospel music, action movies, family based movies

When we gather, we usually gather in in the family room/game room. In the evenings, we assist Zahara with her homework. On the the weekends, we usually go to the movies or to the park. We are constantly outside in our backyard playing together with our boxer puppy Tyler. Our family is the most important thing to us. We have family game nights at home where we play Xbox games (ie bowling, tennis, etc) and family movie nights. We love to spend our time together.

We take time to travel together as a family.

Home and Community

We live in the State of Virginia. Our home is a single family home. We live in a Suburban neighborhood. We are friends with our neighbors. We have one dog.

We do educational activities in our home (i.e. alphabet, numbers, reading, writing). We love to go to the library to check out books. We go to the zoo and aquarium. We love to have play dates with our friends. We play outside with our dog. We are members of the YMCA, zoo, aquarium. We frequently go, especially in the summer. We go to Chuck E Cheese periodically. Since we live near the beach, we go there in the summer. We also go the local water park and go-cart park. There are lots of sports teams that are available for the children to participate in either through the Y or the community. Children are interested in the beach, going swimming, parks, playing on diffferent sports teams. The schools are great. The teachers are very helpful and concerned about the well-being of the children and make a priority to assist the children and parents with additional resources if needed. We are PTA members. We are active in our church. Thad is a deacon and I teach Sunday school. Thad is the minister of Education at our congregation.

Parenting Experience

We have 1 child. She has health issues( asthma, eczema, allergies). We have had behavioral issues for which we sought therapy for her. She has a slight speech impediment, for which she receives speech therapy. We are very active in our child's life and are her biggest advocates. We put our child's best interest first and always try to train her to be respectful of others, especially herself. We base our parenting on Christ's teachings and do have Bible study in our home.

Yolanda is very family oriented. She is a great listener and very empathetic towards others. She believes in helping others with whatever she can. She is organized and loves to cook and keep nutrition as a priority in meals. She is very educational minded and tries to implement fun ways to learn and encourage my child to think outside the box. She is very loving.

Thad is very strong minded and puts his family first. He is protective and nurturing. He is loving and gentle to our child. He is a child at heart, always doing something fun with family. He is very Godly. He is helpful to others.

We experienced difficulties with getting pregnant. We had lots of set back but we stood firm in our faith and relied on each other to deal with whatever issues we had. We take everything in stride and push forward together to get through any difficulties. As of now, we have been waiting for almost 2 years without any success in adopting. We don't give up easily and are very resilient. We have a strong faith in God and we know that everything happens in His time. We rely on each other and the love and support we have from family and friends as we go through difficulties. We will have to take time acclimate the child into the family and new surroundings. We are prepared to Yolanda at home with the child at all times during the initial stages until he is comfortable in his new surroundings. Outside of that, our family life won't change much. We expect to be closer and help the child to feel love and wanted. We took courses offered by our adoption agency for 8 wks. We anticipate it will help immensely. It was very detailed in how to deal with children who are "coming from difficult places". It gave great techniques to use to discipline and help the child verbalize their fears, problems, etc.

Support

We currently have a child therapist and our adoption agency has resources that they have recommended. Yolanda will be home most of the time. On the days she does not work, we will have daycare.

Zahara is already anticipating helping the child(ren) become adjusted to the new surroundings and help with making them feel wanted in our family. She will be able to introduce them to her friends. She is very giving and loving, so she will be able to help him through play therapy. Our family and friends are also there for support. We will have therapy sessions for the entire family.

Motivation to Adopt