Wednesday's Child: 11-Year-Old Nyla

(MARE) - Nyla is a very friendly girl of Hispanic descent. Her nationality is Dominican and Puerto Rican. She can be cute and sassy! Her favorite color is blue and she likes cats and dogs. Her favorite hairstyles are half up and half down and space buns. For coping strategies, Nyla uses an oatmeal bath when upset. She states that it makes her feel good, clean, and relaxed. Nyla's favorite food is lasagna and her favorite games are Sorry, Skip-bo, and Mancala. She also likes to create fidgets. She loves to be around others and is very social. A few of Nyla's talents include dancing, swimming, drawing and making jewelry. Nyla also likes music and enjoys singing along to it. She is very artistic.

Nyla is very intelligent, motivated to learn, and enjoys reading and math. She is very bright and excels in and loves school. There are no concerns about Nyla's behaviors in school. She states that she'd like to be a cosmetologist when she is older. Nyla's clinician has written a narrative exclusively about their experiences with Nyla that can be shared with a family's worker upon request. One part of this narrative talks about how hilarious Nyla is and spending time with her always includes a lot of laughter. When she leaves them a voicemail, the messages are usually very funny and may even include a "meowing sound or two or three...." They also talk about how incredibly proud they are of her progress and knows that she has a bright future ahead.

Legally freed for adoption, Nyla will thrive in most any family constellations with older children or no other children in the home. For families interested in starting a relationship with Nyla as a visiting resource, weekly visits will certainly be considered and encouraged. Nyla resides in eastern MA. Her new family should be willing to help her visit with her biological siblings on a regular basis and possibly her maternal grandmother, who lives in western Massachusetts. There is an open adoption agreement in place for three visits a year with her birth mother.

For more information you can contact MARE: 617-964-MARE (6273) or visit www.mareinc.org.

Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday's Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.