On May 25, 2003, Ryuki was born two weeks early than his due date, weighing 5 pounds 2 ounces. He was such a small baby with a small appetite, which worries me as a mother. Ryuki was named by my mother (his grandmother), which holds the meaning of a dragon's strength. As it is crucial to name your child in the whole world, I wanted a meaningful name for my son. The majority of names represent the family's desire for him or her to be successful in the future or to be loved by everyone. In line with my family's aspirations, we wanted Ryuki to always have the strength to overcome any obstacles that might come in his way and never give up. He was raised by me, a single mother with the support of my family till date. I had brought Ryuki when he was a year old to the family home safely after a police escort to where I lived with his biological father. For six years, in the family courts, his father lost his custody and visitation rights due to “no shows” during court appearances as well as visits. Ryuki only saw his father twice until he completely disappeared from sight. As a single mother, I did my best to handle both roles of parenting. Unfortunately, I am not a man and I cannot replace his father. However, I do not regret taking my son away from his father because he was a drug and alcohol addict as well as physically abusive to me. Fortunately, my son has no memory of the incidents and fortunately his father never laid hands on him. There were times when my heart was in constant pain as I saw him sad that he didn't have a father. See posters at school for “Fathers and Sons Day” or Father’s Day. However, as soon as he made friends with children who also did not have... middle of paper ... inhalers whenever he has difficulty breathing but other than that , he has no other medical problems. I understand that he panics and sometimes fades during specially timed tests. Previously, he lacked organizational skills, but he has made many improvements. I have noticed that he tries harder once he is recognized or praised for a job well done. I think it gives him confidence. Sometimes he cannot properly express or explain his feelings in words; which annoys him. When asked a simple question, he tends to remain silent because he is not sure whether to answer the question, as he is afraid that his decision will turn out to be wrong. I constantly tell him not to worry and just say what you want to say. Like when asked what he wants to eat for dinner, I know he loves burgers and tacos, so he'll say that. However, he has gotten better at speaking his mind more recently..