Frank’s Weakness

We would like to introduce you to one of the most engaging 5-year-olds we know? Frank has astounded his nannies over the years with his thoughtful, dynamic personality. From the time we met him, soon after he turned one, he showed a resilience that surprised everyone as he went through sickness and adjustments that no child should have to face. When he joined New Day in 2015, he quietly observed, built trust, and finally charmed his way into the family.

Frank has difficulty speaking, but that has never stopped him from communicating. Whether he is relaying preferences, getting attention to comment on something, or interacting with the other children in the room, Frank finds his way to initiate and respond to conversation.

We all have our weaknesses, and one of Frank’s biggest issues is that he is a chronic flirt. Frank is the only child we know of who quite literally has sparkling eyes. When the habit of capturing the hearts of unwitting young ladies got out of hand, we had to have a talk with him.

“Frank, you are really quite too young for this,” the tone was serious, and Frank immediately grew solemn. “You need to stop flirting so much. Do you understand?”

By this point, Frank understood the joke. “En,” he said, the Mandarin affirmative.

“Are you going to keep flirting?” we asked.

“Bu,” Frank whispered the Mandarin negative, then turned toward Lydia, our lovely staff member on whom he has had a crush for quite some time, and blew her a kiss. Laughter erupted. The joke was complete.

Because of his condition, however, Frank’s daily life isn’t just all fun and games. But to match the challenges he faces, Frank comes to the table with an incredible work ethic and a thirst to learn. Whether it’s time to work on AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) or participating in an activity in a specific position that will help him develop more skills, Frank is usually the eager beaver of the group. The way he is willing to push himself, even when it’s not his favorite, is shown through the following story.

Frank was on the bolster working on his quadruped position while doing a bowling activity, but his hands were palm-up. This is not good for his wrists both now and later on, and so one of the staff tried to talk to him about repositioning his hand. After many attempts, it was decided that he should take a break. When he was ready to return, they talked to him about the “why” of the request, how it would eventually inhibit his ability to use his hands to catch himself and pick things up. He agreed to go back and try the activity again. As soon as he went over the bolster, both hands were flat, palm-down, on the floor. All it took was him understanding the purpose of the activity, and he was ready to dive back in.

Frank has a deep and long-standing relationship with his caregivers and also with the other children in the room. One child in particular, Caleb, loves to bring blocks, books, and sundry other toys to Frank’s tray and stand with him while they play. It’s a friendship that defies the limitations of communication, physical ability, and diagnoses.

In spite of these great relationships children don’t belong in orphanages- even good ones; they belong in families. And that is our desire and prayer for Frank that someday- and hopefully someday soon he will have his very own family.

Written by Hannah Stam