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A 5-year-old moves in with new foster parents. This is what happens in the first month.

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When *Isaac, five, arrived at Natalie Ong and Matthew Chia’s doorstep, he was not afraid or shy. Instead, he said he would go cycling. (*Name changed to protect identity.)

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“There’s a first for everything, so we didn’t know what to expect,” said Chia, 37.

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The first-time foster parents find themselves more active outdoors. They also used to sleep late but now go to bed by 10pm to give Isaac a more predictable routine.

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Ong, 34, had to get used to Isaac’s extraversion. At first, his chatty nature drained her social battery until she had “no energy to talk to anybody”.

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There are plans to eventually reunite Isaac with his birth family. But this depends on when they can adequately address child safety concerns and related risks.

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For now, Isaac’s foster parents are focused on helping him to thrive.

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