Photolisting Profile for Anthony 'Blake'

Anthony 'blake' is a 17-year-old boy from Tennessee who is hoping to be adopted.

“I just want a mom and dad I can be proud of.” Blake really wants a family to call his own. Blake is very family oriented. He has stated, “I just want to be a normal kid”. Blake wants to further his education once completing high school but is undecided what he would like to focus on. Blake’s interests vary from cooking to white water rafting. Blake has a wide area of interests. He has had the opportunity to go snow skiing and white water rafting and loved every minute of it. Blake also has quite a domestic side as he loves to cook, scrapbook, often rearranges his room and can be caught cleaning house (he’s a neat freak about his appearance and living environment!). Blake also loves talking on his cell phone, eating out and surfing the internet. Blake is a responsible, well behaved young man in that he can be left alone at home for an age appropriate amount of time and can go to the movies or other activities without having to have constant adult supervision. He has never had any discipline problems at school or at home. He loves dogs and would probably want his own dog once settled into a forever family. He is somewhat shy around people he doesn’t know until he feels comfortable and will then open up. Blake interacts well with people of all ages. He is sometimes apprehensive about trying new things but with prompting, he will give it a try. He is very funny but sometimes does use this to hide his feelings. Blake also likes going to church and has been active in youth groups. At this time, Blake is struggling in school. He is currently undergoing testing for any learning disabilities however Blake is somewhat lax in doing his homework and studying however, he does have a desire to do well. Blake has attended several schools due to frequent moves by his family. He has repeated the third grade. Blake is involved with ROTC. Blake does have a tough time facing up to things that need to be addressed such as testing for learning disabilities and counseling. Blake is afraid that he will be “labeled”, he will “be made fun of” or that there are flaws in his personality due to being in counseling. He is guilty of stretching the truth and trying to manipulate a situation however a parent who is very involved with Blake would be able to identify these quick as most of it revolves around typical teenage behavior (hiding homework, grades). Supervising Team Leader for DCS states, “Blake is so funny, he cracks me up”. Case managers have stated, “Blake is so sweet” and “he’s good to be around if you are having a bad day”. His current foster mother states, “Blake has a tender heart and is forgiving”. Current case manager states, “Blake is really neat and a lot of fun to be around. He is thoughtful of others”. Blake has stated that he prefers a two parent home where he is the only child or he is the youngest. He needs a family to accept and support him as Blake is exploring his sexual identity. Blake would prefer to be in a family that is active in that they take family trips, dine out, go to the movies, amusement parks and water parks. Blake’s biological mother has terminal cancer. He has expressed an interest in keeping in touch with her via telephone calls and occasional visits. He also has a younger sister who is in the care of other relatives that Blake would like to keep in contact with. Blake does need to continue in counseling to aid him in developing in his own identity, trust/depression issues and resolving past issues with his birth family.