Forever Family: Meet Glenn

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - There is something so interesting to me about middle school boys. They intrigue me to the point that I want to go back to college and grad school just to take more classes about developmental psychology and really dive into the section on preadolescents and their brain chemistry and developmental processes.

Middle school boys make you want to sit back and just study the complexity of their interactions. I think that is why great movies like 'Sixteen Candles’ with the laughable Farmer Ted character and movies with middle school dance scenes are so memorable. You never know what boys that age are going to do, and I mean that in the BEST way possible.

Twelve year old Glenn was no exception. On filming that day we went to the Greensboro Children’s Museum geared ideally for younger children. Glenn did not have an attitude, he did not act frustrated. He climbed on the outdoor structure with a smile on his face, he walked around the farm with our newscaster and engaged and talked candidly, he held attention with great detail while making paper airplanes and he did it all with a kind, humble spirit. He appeared quiet all day, to the point where staff was concerned he would not say a word during the interview and then surprised us all with his thoughtful and insightful answers.

Glenn spoke openly with an incredible sense of vulnerability and poise as he spoke of how others would describe him and what type of traits he believed were true to who he is. The most memorable moment of the day was during his interview when asked what he wanted in a Forever Family, Glenn stated he wanted a family because he wanted to be “somewhere safe.”

I let that sink in and allowed the words to wash over me in the moment to soak in the depth of that statement. Those words stirred my heart the rest of the afternoon and kept my thoughts racing that night as I tried to fall asleep. A forever family to this wise and humble young man is simply put, a safe place. I let moments pass as I spend time with my own children the thought of safety doesn’t wash over me. I spend carefree afternoons bouncing from activity to activity and never question if I will be okay tomorrow, next week, next year. I lay my head down on the pillow at night and have certainty that everything will remain constant tomorrow.

For Glenn that has not always been the case. For Glenn the thought of a safe place is what he clings to. That sunny afternoon and the wisdom of a twelve year old boy has stuck with me. The wisdom, his vulnerability and the heartbreaking reality of his words. For every carefree moment Glenn displayed, like throwing paper airplanes he displayed an equal number of insightful, thought provoking harsh realities. Yes, the male middle school mind, it is an incredible thing to behold and leaves me in awe and wonder.

Glenn, I hope and pray your family hears your story, brings you wholeheartedly into their family, allows you to be home and creates your “somewhere safe”.

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