Do Ya Wanna Get A Kid?

It all started with a simple email. Yes, I would like a brochure EMAILED to me about hosting an exchange student. I had read that you can host for a week to 3 weeks, all the way up to an entire academic year. I thought a couple of weeks would be nice to see what it is like having a teenager in our house.

RING RING my desk phone blares, I fumble to get my headset on. Little did I know the MASTER OF PERSUASION was calling me. This was 12 days ago. I now have a 6'3", 17 year old boy who was born in Russia sleeping upstairs in our guest room, for a year.

Much like our decision to get married, the conversation went something like this. "I have been researching the idea of X, what do you think?" Da hubs answered, "Sounds like a good idea." and VOILA!

So here I am downstairs, excitedly waiting for this boy to come down so we can have tea together and talk. After our first meeting on Skype a few days ago, I started to experience something so overwhelming, it made me cry. I really began to fall in love with this being. He was going to be under my care, and it is my work now to protect, and introduce him to the United States. I love my nieces and nephews like they are my own, and everyone said it is different when they are, does this sorta count?

I am overwhelmed with joy and apprehension, but also the dread of being such a dork he gets hustled or bullied at school. I am setting out on a mission to find my cool and keep this kid in the "cool" and give him the experience of a lifetime..........