Editor's Note: Window on the Clearwater has joined the Wednesday's Child network to help spread the word about children that are waiting for families to give them the loving care that they need. Each Wednesday we will profile a different child. For more information about Wednesday's Child and how you can be involved check the web site at: http://www.idahowednesdayschild.org/.

Brad/Kevin

Brad has selected a new name for the new life he has embraced with gusto. After knowing him for over six months as "Brad," his adoptive family may have a hard time remembering to call him "Kevin," but he is quick to remind them. That's because as Brad, he struggled for years in school with learning challenges. "I was angry and I didn't ever feel like I really belonged in the foster families I lived with," said Brad. Those things changed when, with the help of his social worker, Lindy, whom he and his family say they "adore," Kevin began believing this family might last.

With lots of encouragement from his adoptive parents, Kevin has been mainstreamed into regular classes, rather than attending special education. He's now getting As and Bs, enjoying solid friendships at school and at church, and he's proud to tell anyone who will listen, he's being baptized in a couple of weeks. He wants to share his family's religion. Kevin shares many other things: his love of the Boise State Broncos, good cooking at family gatherings, opportunities to help grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in family projects and, most of all, lots of laughter.

Although Kevin said he's felt like a full-fledged member of the family since he first met them, still, on the night before his finalization, he told his dad he was a little nervous because "it all seemed too good to be true." He kept expecting something to go wrong, for someone to show up to take him back. The next day, everything went off without a hitch. Through softly falling snowflakes, Kevin's family and about 25 extended family members entered a courthouse to set all his fears to rest. As he posed with his new family and a black-robed family court judge, the grin on Kevin's face brought tears to many eyes.

His parents call him "son" frequently and lovingly. His mom sings out, "My Son!" as a term of endearment and to get his attention quickly. His sisters let him grab lots of attention with his flair for the dramatic and a desire to "hang out" with his dad. They tell us he needs that to heal from his past and they are glad to give it. Kevin feels that his luck, like his name, has finally changed.

Read more from Kevin's parents about their experience with adoption in the Family News link at: http://www.idahowednesdayschild.org

Portrait by ShadowLight Studios Photography

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