Brazilian Family Wants to Bring Sean Back From NJ

David Goldman said now that the ordeal with getting his son Sean back from Brazil is over, he just wants to "live in the now."

"He's a 9-year-old boy, I'm sure he's got a very old soul," Goldman said at a news conference from his lawyer's office in Red Bank, NJ.  "It's my job to just give him love and let him be a child. Maybe one day he'll want to see what happened and how it all came about, but now he just wants to live in the now."

Goldman said that Sean called his Brazilian grandmother on Christmas and on Tuesday morning, but hasn't exhibited any signs of missing his former country or family.

"He hasn't cried, he's happy, he just wants to have fun and not have all this weight on his shoulder," said Goldman.

When Sean got back to his Jersey home he remembered some small details that he hadn't seen in five years, his father said.

"He looked into his room, he looked around and it was all coming back to him," said Goldman.

Meanwhile, Sean's Brazilian family said it will still fight to regain custody.
    
Lawyers for the Brazilian relatives of Sean Goldman say they will push forward with a request from his Brazilian grandmother to allow the boy to make his wishes known in court.
    
The request was initially denied but Brazil's Supreme Court has not issued a final ruling. The highest court doesn't convene until February.

Asked about strained relationships with Sean's Brazilian family, David said his efforts at reconciliation have been cut short.

 "Honestly they pretty much cut me off, as you know they tried to take my name off a Brazilian birth certificate, they slammed the phone down on me. I'm hoping that collectively, down the road they may want to be a part of Sean's life," he said.
    
A Supreme Court judge ordered Sean returned to his father, New Jersey resident David Goldman, shortly before Christmas. The two have since returned to the United States and are back in Jersey.
 
Goldman's nightmare custody battle began in 2004.  His wife took Sean on what was supposed to be a two-week trip to her native Brazil. She never returned. She divorced David, remarried and died in child birth. 

David fought for custody but was blocked by Sean's maternal grandmother.  New Jersey officials and even President Obama took notice and got involved.

Now that Sean is back in New Jersey for the first time in five years, his American relatives say the next step is reacquainting him with his American family, enrolling him in school, and maybe even joining little league.