A story about a very special family in California. They have 8 special-needs children; all were adopted from Russia.
Scott Hamilton is my name (and no, I am not THE Scott Hamilton, the ice skating legend; fact is, I don't even skate!), and I am a hardware store owner in Jamestown, California. I live in Jamestown, California, with my wife, Tabby (Tabitha), who works as a dental lab technician, and our brood of eight children.
Our children are all adopted, and all of them come from Russia. We have four boys and we also have four girls. Our children range in age from 9 on down to 2, and all have special needs. That is, all are disabled in one way or another, but they are still beautiful children who deserve a chance to succeed at life.
The names and ages of our children are, in part: Aleksander (9); Aleksei (8); Dmitri (7); Ioseph (6); Galina (5); Ludmila (4); Natasha (3); and Raisa, the youngest at two. All but one (Dmitri) have Down's syndrome; Dmitri has spina bifida and gets around by wheelchair or forearm crutches. He also wears leg braces.
Alek and Sei are brothers, but the others are not. They all came from different parts of Russia, and they have since learned to get along and love each other. We adopted the two brothers first, and the others came afterwards. We first adopted the two boys three years ago, when they were 6 and 5, and they have really grown up. Next came Dmitri, Ioseph, and our first girl, Galina, who was just 2 then. The other three girls came only within the past year, and they are slowly adjusting to American life and having a family.
The boys have picked up on their English, but the girls still speak a combination of pidgin English and Russian; and they are learning what it is like to have brothers and sisters. They are learning to get along in a world not geared for their special needs, and they are learning to overcome their physical, cognitive, and mental handicaps. They are all very good kids, and it makes being parents to them very worthwhile and rewarding.
If only more people could be as accepting of special needs children, and if only more people could learn to appreciate the beauty and love of these special kids. There would be a lot less hatred and misconception about the mentally or physically handicapped child, and there would also be more opportunity for them to accomplish whatever goals they may have in life. This is what we try to teach others when we talk about our children, and we also try to let them know that there are many more children with spcial needs who are in desperate need of a loving home and family and that adopting such children brings about more rewards and joy than they can ever possibly imagine. This is why we do this, and we may be adopting more children in the future.
This was a beautiful piece, wish there really were a family like this in Jamestown... Keep up the great write, and I love the location :D
God Bless
~Michelle~
i enjoyed reading about this family; all of your families have great big loving hearts to accept children that are less than perfect...inspirational, well written! (((HUGS))) and love, karla. :)
It's almost Christmas. Lynn Basil is writing her last book about a secret entrance into the magical doll land of Sha Bebe that she loves so much. Bagannos have taken over the world! Lynn finally meets her dolls in real life. Can she write in a Secret
It's almost Christmas. Lynn Basil is writing her last book about a secret entrance into the magical doll land of Sha Bebe that she loves so much. Bagannos have taken over the world! Lynn finally meets her dolls in real life. Can she write in a Secret
Scott Hamilton is my name (and no, I am not THE Scott Hamilton, the ice skating legend; fact is, I don't even skate!), and I am a hardware store owner in Jamestown, California. I live in Jamestown, California, with my wife, Tabby (Tabitha), who works as a dental lab technician, and our brood of eight children.
