Child Profiles
Thomas, born 1995
With a mischievous-looking grin and a T-shirt that read "I tried to be good but I got bored," Thomas was a sight to see as he entered the doors at Castles and Coasters recently. While he looked like he might be trouble, 12 News Today anchor, Scott Light, soon found out that this kidfs anything but. He is a bright young man with a great sense of humor and a wonderfully down to earth personality.
Walking out into the courtyard of the amusement park, Thomas looked around wide-eyed, taking in all of the sights and sounds - the bumper boats, the mini-golf course, the raceway, and, of course, the roller coaster.
"What do you think about this place," Light asked him. "I like it a lot," Thomas grinned.
"What do you want to do while we're here," Light inquired further. Thomas told him that he would love to ride the roller coaster. But, because it was a weekday, that attraction was closed. So, the pair found other fun things to do. They started with the bumper boats, took to the racetrack, played a few holes of golf and played video games in the arcade. After all of that, Thomas challenged Light to a game of air hockey. Within a few short minutes, he had won.
After all of that play, Light decided it was time to sit down and get to know this young man a little better. "Tell me about 8th grade," he started. "It has a lot of work," Thomas answered with a quick smile. Light was curious. "Yeah, like what?"
"Like math, science, biology, which is pretty much the same thing um, history, um, did I say math? And we have reading and that's pretty much it," Thomas explained. He noted that his favorite subject is Math and that he finds History most challenging. The likely secret to Thomas's affinity for mathematics is his teacher. "Do you have a cool math teacher," Light inquired. gYeah,h Thomas said, shaking his head.
Thomas is a smart young man who has no trouble putting in a day's worth of hard work in the classroom. And when it comes to homework, Thomas has a secret. gIf we do have homework, I usually finish it before the days over,h he explains. Light looked at him quizzically. "Study hall," Thomas noted, nodding with confidence.
After school, Thomas knows how to play. On a typical day, "I play basketball with my friends," he said. On weekends, he likes to play video games, walk the dogs, go swimming, surf the internet and hang out with his buddies.
When it comes to video games, Thomas likes then all. But his favorite is one he can play on his Gameboy. "Dungeon rescue," he said, trying to recall the name of the game. "No, Danger Red Rescue."
Thomas may be fit and trim, but his favorite treat is less than healthy. He shared that his favorite restaurant is Burger King and that when he is there, he goes all out to satisfy his hunger. "What do you get,h Light asked. "A triple whopper," Thomas said, matter-of-factly. "That's three burgers,h Light laughed. Thomas nodded his head, looking to the sky and licking his lips. "Right, yeah."
The conversation paused for a moment while Light caught his breath. "Fries or onion rings," he asked. Without hesitation, Thomas shared, "I hate onions, so French fries."
Burger King is not the only place where Thomas grabs a few extra calories. Like most teens, he is quite adept at finding them. Even in the cafeteria at school. "Sometimes we have money to buy stuff at the school store and I usually buy a fruit roll up or fruit gushers or a classic cookie or Hot Cheetos or something else."
Thomas is a fun-loving boy with a caring and compassionate spirit. He is eager to love and be loved by a family of his own. His ideal family will be able to spend quality with him, encouraging his hobbies and interests. At the same time, they should also be able to give Thomas a little independence from time to time. Consistency, structure and positive reinforcement will work well to help Thomas understand how a family works. He is a personable young man who would do well with other children in the home. He would also benefit from the attention afforded him as an only child. Most of all, Thomas wants to know that he is loved and accepted for who he is. And, without a doubt, his new adoptive family will find this an easy and rewarding task.
For more information on Thomas or general information on adoption and foster care, please call AASK at (602)254-2275!
