SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - He's a 14-year-old boy who doesn't know what sharing Christmastime with family even feels like. Isaac says he's happy in his group home, because he knows no other life. This polite young man is in desperate need of a family to help guide him through these impressionable teenage years.
Isaac and the step dance team he was part of won a first-place trophy for their performance, but even though he's used to taking center stage, it took some coaxing to get him to share his talents with us.
We talked to Isaac for a while before he agreed to go on camera. He's sold enough to know the purpose behind Adopt 8, but he's not 100 percent sure he needs a family, because he's never had one. Isaac can't even begin to dream about having a dad.
"I never really had a dad so I don't really know what it's like. I mean, I had a foster dad but someone that like, they're just chill, and they're there for you, and they're not always on you, even though it's overall it's good for you and they love you for who you are. You know what I mean?" he said.
"He is in a group home but doesn't need to be at all, but he's reluctant to move," protective services worker Jamey McCormick said.
"I like it there and that's a problem, because I'm doing too good," Isaac said.
Isaac says he likes his group home because it's predictable.
"You go to bed, you wake up, you kind of get dressed for school, whatever you want. I have to clean the room, they check it out and OK, you're good," he said.
"I don't think he understands it's normal for a kid to come home from school, do homework, do chores, then have a few hours to go play and that's what he wants more than anything in the world," McCormick said.
Isaac says he tries to stay out of trouble and away from conflict.
"I'm trying to get everybody happy. Everybody there is my friend. Somebody going off, I try to talk to them," he said.
"He's such a positive role model, if he sees other kids having arguments or having a rough day, he'll intervene and just kind of pull them aside. Everyone loves him there," McCormick said. "he's a superstar, he is absolutely a superstar."
What Isaac needs is a forever home.
"He is a little reluctant because he's been in the system since he was about six years old and he's had some bad experiences," McCormick said.
This 8th grader, who we found to be positive, easy-going and easy to talk to, has suffered countless disappointments.
"He's definitely scared to be let down again," McCormick said.
And while Isaac has made the most out of the hand life has dealt him, it's not good enough for his social worker, who knows the type of life Isaac could have with a forever family.
"He just definitely deserves a second shot and he has reiterated several times that he wants his next move to be his last, so I'm hoping someone's out there and willing to take a shot on him," McCormick said.
If you're interested in adopting or becoming a foster family, call 1-877-I-ADOPT-U during regular business hours.
