GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- 13-year-old Rocky has an incredible heart.
He’s an adventurous teen but has been in the foster system for so long, he's not quite sure what having a family would even be like.
Rocky hasn't had a family since he entered the system 11 years ago, but he says his heart is open to love anyone who will take a chance on him and welcome him into their family.
But not knowing the love and care he has deserved his whole life, he says an overwhelming sense of loneliness can sometimes get the best of him. “I get really sad and emotional when it happens, and I just cry."
It’s the desperate yearning for loving parents to do whatever families do.
“We could watch a bunch of movies together and have Taco Tuesday,” Rocky says.
He would love to hunt and fish with a dad and learn how to drive.
“I like to skateboard," he says. "I like to have Nerf wars. I like to have airsoft wars and paint wars."
He'd also like to go on adventures with a mom.
“With a mom, I wish we could play games together, and we could have a bunch of fun, and go outside and play,” he says.
And -- of course -- he says he’ll do his part for the family.
“Help around the house, help with dogs, if we have any, or animals, and make breakfast for them,” Rocky says.
He needs a consistency and stability he`s never had.
“With a family I would have someone to talk to,” he says, “since I’ve never really had anybody there besides my staff and my sister.”
Rocky says he’s extremely loving and not a bit picky about potential parents. “I have a very big heart for people and I love everyone I can meet besides the people who hurt me,” he says.
If you’re interested in adopting Rocky -- or any other youth from the Michigan Foster System -- call Orchards Children’s Services at 855-694-7301.
A special thanks to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum for welcoming FOX 17 for this Forever Home taping.
