Wednesday’s Child: Rhianna still waiting for new family

(WNDU) - Teens need parents for guidance and support, and that’s definitely the case for foster teens in need of adoption.

We’re helping them connect with new families with our Wednesday’s Child segments.

We first aired Rhianna’s story in January, but we recently found out this spunky 13-year-old is still waiting to find new parents. Indiana Adoption Program wants us to share her story again in hopes that someone will step forward to help.

Smart and sporty are two words to describe Rhianna. She’s a 13-year-old who cares about the people around her. She’s ready for new parents who are willing to adopt her.

Rhianna is a fun-loving kid who is ready to try new things in life.

She enjoys trying arcade games but also playing sports.

“I am athletic,” Rhianna said. “I’ve done basketball, and softball. I’ve never done soccer.”

Rhianna stays busy and says that’s a good thing!

“It’s important to keep kids busy, because if you don’t, they’ll get bored and drive you nuts!” Rhianna said. “When kids get bored, they don’t know what to do. So, they just find something to do.”

Rhianna knows what she wants to do when she’s older.

“There’s like a lot of things. Like I want to be a foster mom. And I want to babysit,” Rhianna said.

Her years in foster care give her a special understanding.

“I don’t remember what age I came into foster care,” Rhianna said.

She knows what she wants in a new family.

“A sister my age. Just a mom. And a dog. And my own room,” Rhianna said. “Because I share a room with someone right now and I’m just that kind of person who likes to have their own space.”

And she’s the kind of person who knows how to be a good friend.

“Be yourself, be respectful, be kind and people will want to be around you more,” Rhianna said.

Rhianna’s favorite food is spaghetti and her favorite subject in school is math.

If you would like to learn more about Rhianna, click here for Indiana Adoption Program.

ICYMI: Tricia talked more about Rhianna on Facebook Live. She also revisited the story of Matthew, who was last week’s Wednesday’s Child, and emphasized the the need for good foster families and the need to get foster children moved into suitable and stable homes after a class-action lawsuit was filed last week against the Indiana Department of Child Services.

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