Wednesday's Child: Kaleb

Kaleb, 14, already knows what he wants to be when he grows up - a veterinarian. He wants to work with "turtles," but his court-appointed special advocate says he loves all reptiles alike.

"He really seems to like reptiles, and so we talk a lot about herpetology and different animals in that field," said Sonya Cooper, Kaleb's CASA who's been assigned to him for the past year he's lived in foster care. "I think that he would be very strong in working with animals; he understands that you have to be patient with them, you have to train them."

Kaleb doesn't waste words: he know he doesn't need words to communicate with animals. It's also why a tour of the Texas A&M Small Animal Hospital is a dream come true for this 8th grade student.

Of course, Kaleb's not ready for his future yet. He's still a kid at heart.

"He's a very typical teenager," said Cooper with a laugh. "His important priorities in life are phones, LeBron shoes, and reptiles."

There is one way Kaleb is not a typical kid.

"Kaleb being in foster care, he has been through a lot of trauma," Cooper said. "More and more, we have a lot of studies that show trauma deeply affects a child's brain, so there's going to be some developmental delay with maturity and functioning because of the trauma he's endured."

Now, Kaleb just needs the love that will endure--the family that's forever.

"That would be phenomenal," Cooper said.

Kaleb agrees, and even he can spare a few words about what he'll do when he finds them.

"Give them a hug," said Kaleb.