From the moment she stepped off the plane, Badea has maintained an ideal balance as a big sister, role model, and best friend to our three children and a dear friend to my wife and me. This rapid integration into our lives was very important to us because of our extraordinarily busy schedules. I am a full time pilot with Delta Air Lines and part time pilot for the Air National Guard, and my wife is a full-time Doctor of Chiropractic student. We have three children ages 4, 5 ½, and 6 who are each in Montessori school and three different extracurricular activities weekly. From the moment Badea joined our family, she immediately jumped in wherever necessary. It was incredible to see her proactively integrate where she was most needed.
German culture is another area where Badea has blessed our family. The children love making German dishes and cookies with her and learning German Christmas traditions and words. On one of our drives together our then 3 ½ year old yelled from the back of the car, “A zug! A zug!” which is German for train. It was so cute and she was so proud of the word she had learned.
The largest impact that Badea has had on our family, we are experiencing at this very moment. I am currently deployed overseas with the Air National Guard, flying missions to supporting military conflict operations. I have been more worried about this deployment than any of the others because our son has recently struggled with me being on the road so much. Badea responded by patiently providing an unwavering foundation of love, understanding, and structure in our son’s everyday life, and he quickly turned the corner! His teachers told my wife and me that Badea has had a very positive impact on his behavior and overall happiness.
Submitted by Siegfried Jucknies, host dad in Georgia