“I learned a lot, both good and bad, through hosting my student, so I thought it would be a good thing for our boys,” said Michelle. She and Sean said that their experience stretched them as parents and as a family, but through their experiences, they established lifelong relationships with their two hosted students, Renjie He ‘15 and David Wu ‘17. “We were able to meet Renjie’s mom during a visit to school before the program started, so it was nice to get his family involved,” said Sean. “Americans would probably struggle to send their children thousands of miles away, but these parents do. They expect their child to get a good education, and I think it helps ease the family’s fears when they know us.” The Lamptons said that first introduction helped establish a baseline that could allow them to fully integrate their students into their family. “You learn that Chinese teenagers are no different from American teenagers,” said Sean. Even though they were not the boys’ parents, both Sean and Michelle felt like they were able to parent their international students in a way that turned them into sons and brothers for the family. They had occasional behavioral issues that had to be addressed, but they also felt David and Renjie could have their own lives in the US, just like they wanted their own sons to do. Sean, Spencer, and Trevor got to travel to China a few summers ago to spend a few weeks with both families. The Lamptons even hosted Renjie’s younger brother at their during winter break from a different school this year. As Renjie and David graduated and left Covenant, it was not the end of the experience for the Lamptons. “They love my deviled eggs, so we still see them every Thanksgiving,” said Michelle, laughing. “I still talk to them on the phone and message them, and Renjie’s mother and I talk through WeChat.” As they started participating in the homestay program, Michelle said that they never anticipated the fulfillment that participating in the program would bring their family. “Exchange students start like a guest that you end up treating like they’re your own children. You really do end up treating them like they’re your own children.” Sean tried to summarize the impact of their experience. “It’s a privilege because it’s such an opportunity to impact someone’s life. It’s the proverbial adage, what you’re giving versus what you get, living life together with them. I never anticipated a freshman from China referring to us as an American Mom and Dad. It’s not what you expect, but it ends up like that.”
Students gathered at the Lampton home for Chinese New Year.
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