Wednesday's Child: Ashton and Jonathan
By Larry Kane
Produced by Timothy McLaughlin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- At 12 years old, Jonathan has never known a life without his 15-year-old brother, Ashton.
He says he could never imagine being apart, but that is reality for many children in the adoption system who are often separated from their siblings for a variety of reasons.
"If we were spread apart, I would miss him," Ashton says of his brother. A simple sentiment, but one that speaks volumes.
"I think these two boys really appreciate each other, but they're too young to say how they feel," notes Gloria Hochman of the National Adoption Center, based in Philadelphia. "Boys of that age typically don't express deep feelings, and I think these two are very typical of that. But they clearly mean a great deal to each other, and just the way they look at each other, you can tell how much they depend on each other."
So, Hochman says, the boys are looking for a permanent family together. Preferably, Ashton says, one that enjoys football.
Although which team the family will support is up for debate, since Ashton is a Green Bay Packers fan and Jonathan supports the Pittsburgh Steelers "because they have the most championships and they have a great quarterback."
Unfazed, Ashton replies, "We already beat them in the Super Bowl."
With these two it's all football, all the time.
They both want to pursue careers in the sport, but have very different backup plans: Ashton wants to be a welder, Jonathan wants to be a video game designer.
And Jonathan knows exactly what kind of game he'd like to make: "Lego Football. Everything -- people will be built out of Legos. The football will be a brown little Lego. And the field will be made out of Legos."
No matter what happens for these two, Hochman says, "Having each other is the most important thing. Studies have shown that siblings are most important to each other because they're the people that stay with each other the longest. They know each other longer than they know their parents, longer than parents know their children."
For more information about adopting Jonathan, Ashton, or any other "Wednesday's Child," go to the National Adoption Center's web site, www.adopt.org, or call 215-735-9988.
———-
