GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There are hundreds of older children in Michigan who are waiting for a family to bring them into their homes. In our regular series, Forever Home, we get to meet one of them. Aaron is such a character and a sweet guy, who loves to cook. He got a fabulous one-on-one cooking lesson at the Mary Free Bed YMCA and he made a few new friends along the way. We hardly made it in the door before 12-year-old Aaron kindly offered to help us. He grabbed the tripod out of my hands and brought it to the kitchen. This young man is certainly not shy and made himself right at home in the learning kitchen. He says his favorite thing to cook and eat is mac and cheese, but today it was all about a fruit-centric salad.
Mary showed him the ropes as they cut up watermelon, cantaloupe and plums. They added some feta cheese, spinach and dressing. Aaron picked things up quickly and enjoys learning. This 6th grader’s favorite subject is math. In his free time, he says he likes to play basketball and video games like Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto. He also has a big heart for animals, everything from dogs and cats to fish and lizards.
But his first love is his family. He’s very protective of them. He says he would step up and risk his safety to make sure none of them ever gets hurt. He says when he grows up he would like to be a mechanic in the morning and a ghost hunter at night. When we asked what he knew about ghosts, here’s what he had to say. “They’re trying to ask for help and we shouldn’t be mean to them.”
When he thinks of his forever home, Aaron says he just wants some parents who will be nice. No doubt this young man will repay that love and more. If you would like more information about Aaron, or about becoming a foster or adoptive family, head to https://orchards.org/.
