We have opened our home to a little boy who has had a history of volatile behavior.  Because of this, trying to find a family for him has been difficult at best.

The little boy is named Billy Ray.  He is eight years old and already has a long history behind him.  He has autistic-like tendencies and also has a known defiance disorder:  he will not listen to adults who try to correct his behavior.  He has proven to be quite the handful to the foster families he's been with already.

He has been known to be destructive and violent towards younger children or animals.  For this reason, any plans of him being adopted have been put on the back burner for now, until his serious behavioral issues can be dealt with.  Billy Ray has been in several counseling sessions, trying to get to the root of his behavior, but with little success.  He remains as wild and as volatile as ever.

I feel sorry for the child.  He is such a pretty little boy with long light brown hair cascading down his back and big, dark eyes, but in his case, looks are definitely deceiving.  He looks all sweet and innocent, but don't be fooled by that knowing smile or the cuteness factor:  he is anything but cute or charming, as far as behavior is concerned!

Some of the things he's done include locking people out of the house, setting trash cans or paper on fire, kicking family pets, biting younger children, hitting anyone who is within reach, yelling and screaming uncontrollably, head-butting teachers or adults who try to reason with him, and lying or stealing.  He is the all-around bad kid.

His familial history is sketchy at best:  we have no idea whether he was the product of an abusive relationship with his parents, or if he had been abandoned, or what.  We have no idea where he was born, or where he has been before he came to us just a few days ago.  In the few days we've had Billy, he's already tested our patience more than once, but we are determined to reach deep down inside that troubled little soul and bring him love, comfort, and support.  We want him to know that we love and care for him.

Billy Ray is a child who definitely needs a lot of guidance; we are more than ready to give him a chance to succeed.  If we can help him modify his behavior in more constructive, positive ways, then we are all for it.  He needs to know his limits, and he needs to know that we will not tolerate outright disobedience from him, even if he is autistic.  He has to learn to mind just like any other child.

Besides our new little charge (Billy Ray), we have two older children:  two boys, ages 13 and 18.  They are ready to help their new little foster brother as much as we are.  They think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread; they absolutely adore him (which is more than I can say for my husband and myself).  Maybe they can reach him in ways that most other people couldn't. 

Lord, we can only hope. 

We will have periodic updates about Billy Ray, so you can see whether taking him in was a good idea or not.  We may have bitten off more than we can chew by taking in such a unpredictable child, but we are more than willing to give it a shot; we want Billy Ray to have a chance to succeed at life and to let him know that life isn't all bad; there's plenty of good involved.

Take care and God bless!  Pray for us, but most of all, pray for Billy Ray:  he needs a miracle in his life!

~Sincerely,  Dona Lee Weissgarver, Denver, Colorado.  :)

*to be continued.*