One of the boys who now lives with us has a birthday for the first time. Today, he is "officially" 18 years of age. How can this be?
One night at dinner, we were having conversation with the boys who live in our home. We asked them how old they were and when was their birthday. When it came time for Claudio to share, he said there was no record of his birth (more on this in a later blog). He said he was 18 but he did not know when he was born. We told him that we needed to establish a birthday for him. We asked him to think about when he would like to celebrate his birthday.
During that discussion of birthdays, it was revealed that everyone at the table had a birthday in March, everyone except Claudio. So, he decided that he wanted his birthday to be in March. We asked him what day in March would he like to celebrate his birthday and he chose the 10th. When I asked him why the 10th, he said it was because he liked the number.
For over a month we have been building up to this day - Claudio's celebration of his birthday.
I asked him this morning, how old was he today. He again said he was 18. I want to try to establish how old he really is but for now we will continue to say he is 18. When he told us previously he was 18 he might have been referring to the number of years that he has been alive. Claudio may not grasp the concept that with a birthday you add another year to your age.
Last night after supper, he and I walked to the store to buy mix and frosting so that I can bake him a cake. He wanted chocolate; is there any other flavor for a teenage boy? On the way home, we practiced his English. He is now learning how to count to ten and colors. One number that he really loves is 6. He was calling a lot of numbers "6". I tried to get him to slow down and think before he would answer.
The other "task" I had with Claudio was to read him the book of John in the Bible. Pastor Jose has assigned the reading lesson to the boys. Claudio does not know how to read. His reading ability would be equal to an elementary student in the States, reading "Dick and Jane and see Spot run". I have a bilingual Bible. I would read to him in Spanish and if there was a word I could not pronounce, he might correct me if he recognized the word. Or if neither of us could pronounce the word, I had my google translator next to us and I would type the word into the computer and we would both listen to it. Whenever he recognized the sound of a word that I was mispronouncing, he would correct me. It brought a lot of pleasure to him.
Yesterday, was a very special day for me. a walk with Claudio and time reading the Bible together. Also, it was Wednesday and that means Pastor Jose comes for a couple of hours to spend time with the boys. I so much enjoyed my one-on-one time with Claudio. He knows now that we will have a "date" each day to read the Bible.
I have a favor to ask of anyone reading this blog, if you desire. Would you email a birthday greeting to Claudio? I would like to show him that there are many people who know who he is and care about him.
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We will share those posts with Claudio. I'd love to show him that the World says....
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAUDIO"
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