{"id":1539,"date":"2024-03-05T22:53:27","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T22:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/?p=1539"},"modified":"2024-03-05T22:53:27","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T22:53:27","slug":"foster-family-opens-up-their-home-to-a-12-year-old-that-nobody-wants-soon-they-realize-who-he-really-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/?p=1539","title":{"rendered":"Foster family opens up their home to a 12-year-old that nobody wants \u2013 soon, they realize who he really is"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Growing up in a safe and loving home is far from a given for many children. Those who don\u2019t often have just one wish, and that is to feel loved somewhere. It\u2019s precisely this perspective that has led Kevin and Dominique Gill to welcome foster children into their home.<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"311fe198f191a864c1efcdfa9efedfdf\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1782571\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong>But when they welcomed a 10-year-old boy that no one else wanted, everything changed in <\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-64e0ead973385b0943bcaa68f0108549\" class=\"newsner-64e0ead973385b0943bcaa68f0108549 newsner-bluebillywig_instream\">\n<div id=\"newsner-752476929\" class=\"newsner-bluebillywig_instream\">\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"bb-iawr-newsner_english_playout-1601396675571335\" class=\"bb_iawr\">\n<div id=\"bb-wr-newsner_english_playout-1601396675571335\" class=\"bb-media bb_wrapper bb-muted bb-phase-init bb-mode-video bb-pendingplay\" data-flags=\"{}\" data-softembargoremainingtime=\"0\" data-sid=\"sVM3gWgliFNT\" data-isready=\"true\" data-autoplaynextremainingtime=\"0\">\n<div class=\"bb-layer bb-context-layer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Up to a certain age, I didn\u2019t even realize that not every child had the blessing of a mom and dad who thought the world of them.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there are millions of children the world over who don\u2019t have the benefit of a warm and loving home. One 12-year-old boy named Andrew, from Nashville, Tennessee, knows all about that.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-facebook wp-block-embed-facebook\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=10223070044004552&amp;set=pb.1384328457.-2207520000&amp;type=3\" data-width=\"640\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/1384328457\/posts\/10223070044484564\/\"><p>Literally couldn&#8217;t ask for better friends  We literally called them three days before we decided to take a quick trip to Gatlinburg for Joc birthday! My other family <\/p>\n<p>Posted by\u00a0<a role=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.newsner.com\/family\/12-year-old-boys-dream-comes-true-after-hes-adopted-by-his-best-friends-family-congratulations-andrew\/?fbclid=IwAR3Fe-aU_ozuMqaRBytI-4tQaja-24kAEPlfniJOJrZhYC8fGL2B85aXsso#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dominique Gill<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/1384328457\/posts\/10223070044484564\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sunday, May 31, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In 2018, Dominique and Kevin Gill made the decision to become foster parents to Andrew, who was ten years old.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-introvert-and-aggressive\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introvert and aggressive<\/h2>\n<p>Andrew had no contact with his biological parents, and throughout his upbringing, he had bounced between temporary homes arranged by social services.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstcoastnews.com\/article\/life\/heartwarming\/young-boys-dream-comes-true-when-hes-adopted-by-nashville-family\/51-9c090192-7a21-4a70-a52b-4707a33c5be7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">As per reports<\/a>, he\u2019s lived in foster care for about half his young life.<\/p>\n<p>Not having a secure place or anything to call \u201chome\u201d had made the ten-year-old introverted, as he was unwilling to open up to anyone. Several people who met the boy got the impression that he was emotionally distant.<\/p>\n<p>Social services described Andrew as \u201ctroublesome,\u201d as he could easily become angry. Many saw this as a reason not to take on the boy, but Dominique and Kevin were determined to help him. They have always believed that security and love can mold children into good people.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-facebook wp-block-embed-facebook\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=10227366039201747&amp;set=pb.1384328457.-2207520000&amp;type=3\" data-width=\"640\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/1384328457\/posts\/10227366039401752\/\"><p>My kids so perfect \u2764<\/p>\n<p>Posted by\u00a0<a role=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.newsner.com\/family\/12-year-old-boys-dream-comes-true-after-hes-adopted-by-his-best-friends-family-congratulations-andrew\/?fbclid=IwAR3Fe-aU_ozuMqaRBytI-4tQaja-24kAEPlfniJOJrZhYC8fGL2B85aXsso#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dominique Gill<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/1384328457\/posts\/10227366039401752\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wednesday, December 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Andrew temporarily moved in as a foster child with the couple in their villa in Nashville, Tennessee. There, he would stay until social services found a family willing to adopt him.<\/p>\n<p>However, that proved easier said than done, as no one wanted Andrew, and foster care was just a temporary solution. Just like every other time.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201dHe didn\u2019t want to talk\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking to WBIR Channel 10, Kevin and Dominique revealed that Andrew withdrew and avoided social contact during the initial period. He just wanted to sit in his room and play computer games. He was often angry and prone to outbursts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dDuring his first week with us, he sat in his room with the door closed, looking at old photos. He didn\u2019t want to talk,\u201d Andrew\u2019s foster parents shared in their interview.<\/p>\n<p>Weeks passed, and Dominique and Kevin, along with their biological children, struggled with Andrew, who didn\u2019t bond with anyone.<\/p>\n<p>But the compassionate couple persisted, never giving up on Andrew. Despite his anger, they consistently responded with love. Over time, Andrew began to realize and understand that he was truly loved.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1300899487787954178&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com%2Ffamily%2F12-year-old-boys-dream-comes-true-after-hes-adopted-by-his-best-friends-family-congratulations-andrew%2F&amp;sessionId=d473c95cb2cf748e82a7643e765ae4d99e9a5e3c&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1300899487787954178\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The foster couple\u2019s biological son initially felt no connection with Andrew at all, but just like his parents believe, he also thinks that everyone deserves a chance.<\/p>\n<p>It soon became evident that the boys had a lot in common, and when Andrew realized that this family cared about him, he let down his guard.<\/p>\n<p>The boys started playing as if they were best friends, and the couple\u2019s biological son also flourished. The two boys loved to play video games and eat pop-tarts together. Joc\u2019s parents, Kevin and Dominique Gill, meanwhile, have always loved having Andrew around.<\/p>\n<p>After a while, social services deemed Andrew ready to move in with an adoptive family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dOur mindset was to help him until he found his permanent home,\u201d Dominique explains.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew, who had found security in a place for the first time in his life, was about to prepare for yet another move.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-cb3dfad7e472d867b3237822549dda6d\" class=\"newsner-cb3dfad7e472d867b3237822549dda6d newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1303066151514247168&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com%2Ffamily%2F12-year-old-boys-dream-comes-true-after-hes-adopted-by-his-best-friends-family-congratulations-andrew%2F&amp;sessionId=d473c95cb2cf748e82a7643e765ae4d99e9a5e3c&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1303066151514247168\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201dBut after the second adoption fell through, I realized that God placed Andrew in our lives for a reason. God made sure the adoption didn\u2019t work out so that he could come back to us,\u201d Dominique reveals.<\/p>\n<p>The couple decided to ask Andrew if he wanted to become part of their family, and the answer was a resounding \u2018yes\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>You can imagine Andrew\u2019s delight and surprise, then, when one day he was out walking in the park with Molly Parker (who works at Youth Villages) and was met with the news that the Gills were officially adopting him<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TN foster family decides to adopt during COVID-19\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MpyYXxwm-G0?feature=oembed\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI just turned around the corner and saw everybody,\u201d Andrew said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey asked \u2018will you?\u2019 and I said \u2018yeah!&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstcoastnews.com\/article\/life\/heartwarming\/young-boys-dream-comes-true-when-hes-adopted-by-nashville-family\/51-9c090192-7a21-4a70-a52b-4707a33c5be7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Figures state<\/a>\u00a0that there are more than 8,000 children in the Tennessee Foster System waiting for their forever home. Fortunately, there\u2019s one less due to the kindness and compassion of the Gills.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is my brother, Joc,\u201d said Andrew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is my brother, Andrew,\u201d said Joc.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Andrew and Joc have truly forged an unbreakable bond, becoming brothers in every sense of the word.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin and Dominique never realized that Andrew was their son, the one they had been waiting for, and it was undoubtedly meant to be that he would belong to the Gill family.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-facebook wp-block-embed-facebook\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=10231505153077007&amp;set=pb.1384328457.-2207520000&amp;type=3\" data-width=\"640\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/1384328457\/posts\/10231505165357314\/\"><p>Life with Joc &amp; Drew  #DifferentTypeOfbestFriends #GKids #RaisingGKids #UniqueWorld<\/p>\n<p>Posted by\u00a0<a role=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.newsner.com\/family\/12-year-old-boys-dream-comes-true-after-hes-adopted-by-his-best-friends-family-congratulations-andrew\/?fbclid=IwAR3Fe-aU_ozuMqaRBytI-4tQaja-24kAEPlfniJOJrZhYC8fGL2B85aXsso#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dominique Gill<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/1384328457\/posts\/10231505165357314\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wednesday, September 6, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Stories like this brings tears of joy to my eyes. I\u2019m so thankful for families like the Gills, and the fact that they\u2019ve given Andrew a forever home.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing up in a safe and loving home is far from a given for many children. Those who don\u2019t often have just one wish, and that is&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1540,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1541,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1539\/revisions\/1541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findpath.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}