Forever Family: Meet Conner

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - We speak all the time about how important it is for siblings to be together. We feature sibling sets and we talk about the importance of putting children in homes with their brothers and sisters. We ask foster and adoptive families or those considering next steps in adoption to not only consider taking one child into their home, but we ask them if they are able to be willing to keep families together by taking in siblings. When you watch the video of these two together you will see the connection that these siblings have.

Unlike many adults who think back to their childhood remembering too much homework, falling off their bikes, arguing with their big sister, or trying to steal the biggest cookie before dinner, I believe that someday Conner will describe his childhood differently. Even though Conner is currently in the foster care system and has had to overcome some amount of trauma, I don’t think those are the things that he will talk about years from now. Conner will not talk about little arguments or moments in his life that made him feel frustrated. Instead, I believe he will speak of joyful times and they will all center around Amber, his big sister. His words will be laced with adoration, and not tales of arguments or fighting over who got the bigger cookie, but the times she made him laugh or the times she took care of him.

As evident in the Forever Family video segment, what Conner holds in the highest esteem, what Conner cherishes, and what Conner thinks of when he thinks of family is simply put, it’s Amber. What means more to this young boy than anything in this world is the hope that he will have the chance to spend the rest of his childhood in a home with his sister. It was evident not just in Conner’s words, because overall he was quiet during filming, but in Conner’s actions. With every hug he gave Amber, or every time he reached for her arm you could see their bond. With every smile he beamed at his sister the connection, the love, the importance of keeping them together was evident to everyone. Conner is a 7-year-old boy with bright red hair, an adorable smile and an amazing big sister who loves him more than anything in the world.

I hope and pray someday as an adult Conner will look back at fourth, fifth and sixth grade, middle school, high school and he will have memories that include his sister. I picture his summer vacations filled with swimming and laughing, measuring the size of cookies after dinner to see whose is bigger, and walking home from the bus stop together. These are all exciting and hopeful to Conner because he envisions his sister right there with him.

Our hope for Conner and Amber is that together they will find their mom and dad. They will find parents who will take them swimming, help them bake the cookies and pick them up from the bus stop. Together as a family, their parents will walk them both to the front door and as Conner enters, he drops his backpack and says “I’m home.”

Copyright 2019 WBTV. All rights reserved.