Getting on my soap box for a moment...

[Shuffler]

I want to share a story about fud jr.
 About 5 years ago, my wife and I decided to adopt a child from foster care. We met this young boy just shy of his 3rd birthday. He was born 6 weeks premature and tested positive to cocaine in his system. His birth parents were drug addicts and parental rights were given up at birth.
 When we met him, he only had a few words to his vocabulary, since he has moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears and the foster mom who raised him to that point never followed up with any medical care such as hearing aids etc.
 There was also substantiated abuse in foster care. He had chipped front teeth and a scar over his eye.
Once we became legal guardians, we had him fitted with hearing aids and tested in the sound booth. The audiologist whispered his name and he looked at the speaker and heard his name for the first time. He never really smiled. He kept his upper lip down to cover his chipped teeth We had new crowns put in and once he got used to that he beamed.
  We enrolled him in a preschool for the hard of hearing and total communication. (HH/TC) to learn sign language and language skills.
Now at 8 years old, you would never know he had 2 words in his vocabulary and he's a normal kid who loves reading, math, playing and nearly fluent in ASL.
 He made honor roll with a letter from the state capitol congratulating him. We also received a letter from his school administration the other day and he qualifies for Gifted Services.
We live near NASA/Langley and when we drive by and he sees the wind tunnel, he says he wants to Virginia plane doctor (AKA Aerospace engineer)

K. I'm stepping off my soap box...
Thanks for reading <S> fudmukkr

Great story Fud. Here in Texas the Gifted Services is called Gifted and Talented Education (G.A.T.E.) My youngest daughter was in it. I highly recommend it. She was nominated for it her second week of kindergarden. We had to go to some meetings as we did not know exactly what it consisted of. All the way till 6th grade she had only 12 kids in her class and 2 teachers for that class.

[Curval]

Well done.  We need more like you and your wife in this world.

[Dago]

There are good people in this world, you are one of them.

[zack1234]

Hurrah!

Puts things into perspective

[Rich52]

Pretty outstanding story.

[ebfd11]

  fud and Mrs fud,

With people like you kids get the chance to grow in a healthy environment

I wish when I was younger and on Foster care that I didn't go through what I did.

Fud Jr with a man and a woman like your parents you cantgo wrong.

BTW people gone your kids a big hug they deserve it.

Lawndart