Boston Sunday Globe

Mateo, 6, is ready for a family of his own

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Sunday’s Child is a weekly column featuring a child currently in foster care awaiting adoption.

Blaire, who goes by Mateo, is an imaginativ­e 6-year-old boy. He enjoys going to the park, playing with Bakugans, and imagining the capabiliti­es and superpower­s that they have in the world, calling himself goofy names like “cheese hamster” when playing with other adults, and listening to songs from “High School Musical” and “Frozen.”

Mateo loves watching “Hamster Stories,” “Rainbow Ringer,” “Bluey,” “True and the Rainbow Kingdom,” “Paw Patrol,” and “Gabby’s Dollhouse.” He also enjoys playing with his Legos and toy cars.

Mateo is enrolled in school where he is working on developing listening skills, sharing attention, and developing peer relationsh­ips. He does well in the classroom setting where there are two staff present.

Mateo’s social worker is looking for a dedicated two-parent family of any constellat­ion experience­d in trauma with or without older children in the home. He would thrive as the youngest or only child in the home and he is able to develop strong, loving relationsh­ips when he feels he has sufficient attention from his caregivers. Mateo can be placed outside of the state but must remain in the New England area in order tomaintain monthly contact with his two sisters and biological family.

Can I adopt?

If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experience­d or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples.

As an adoptive parent, you won’t have to pay any fees, adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachuse­tts.

The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that your family will fit well with.

To learn more about adoption from foster care visit www.mareinc.org. Massachuse­tts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) can give you guidance and informatio­n on the adoption process. Reach out today to find out all the ways you can help children and teens in foster care.

 ?? ?? Mateo enjoys playing with his Legos and toy cars.
Mateo enjoys playing with his Legos and toy cars.

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