A nine year old little girl was adopted at the age of one because she had been abandoned. The whereabouts of her bio-mother are not mentioned, but her father was incarcerated for the majority of her life. She was adopted by a family that raised her until she was 9.
Her father had initially lost his rights because of a law that says if someone is incarcerated for 10 years or more, then that individual loses rights. Her father had received a sentence of 15 years for dealing in guns and drugs. He was able to get his sentence reduced and decided that he would fight to get his daughter back.
While that sounds commendable...rehabilitated ex-felon turned father of the year...the way the state went about returning his rights was completely wrong. They (the state) took the girl as she exited the bus from school and she hasn't seen her adoptive family since. That was 6 months ago.
Adoption is a huge topic to me because I was adopted by my grandparents on my biological father's side. The reason is not important, the fact that I was adopted is the focal point of this blog. I was adopted and though I often wonder what my life would've been like with my biological parents, I cannot dismiss that I had a pretty good childhood with my adoptive parents. They are the only parents that I've ever considered Mom and Dad.
It's only recently that I have begun building a relationship with my biological mother and I'm extremely thankful that we've both reached a point in our life where we are ready to embark on this journey together.
Being adopted was my norm and I cannot imagine what this little girl is going through. If someone would've ripped my away from the only family I had known practically since birth, it would have devastated me.
Think about it. One day 9 year old you gets up and has a normal morning getting ready for school. You say goodbye to your parents as you get on the bus. You go about your normal routine at school, hang out with your friends, roll your eyes when your teacher attempts to make a joke that is obviously corny. You get restless when you know school is about to let out and it's almost time to go home. The bus pulls up at your stop, the same bus that you boarded hours prior, and to your surprise you see cars you don't recognize parked in the driveway of your home. As you exit the bus you see your mother and father run out of the front door toward you, but they are stopped short by a man in a business suit as a woman approaches you. You don't really hear what she's saying but you can tell by her facial expression she's attempting to reassure you that everything is okay. You move toward your parents but the man in the suit blocks you from doing so. Tears begin to spill down your cheeks and you cry out as you begin calling for you mother...the lady, the one with the kind face and hollow reassurances leads you toward one of the cars you don't recognize in the driveway. You look over your shoulder to see your mother fall to her knees as her heart literally breaks before your eyes. The woman continues to lead you away, into the car..she puts the seat belt around you as you tremble and attempt to catch your breath. The door of the car shuts and you're alone for a moment. You try to open the door but the child safety lock prevents you from doing so. Absolute panic grasps your 9 year old self and all you can do is look out the window of the car you don't recognize...and cry.
I can only imagine that this is very similar to what Sonya went through. The system has failed her and I pray that her parents and the legal team they've hired can find a way to get her back. I have no qualms about her biological father being in her life, but this was NOT the way this situation should have been handled. If he wanted to do what was right by his daughter, he should've left her with her adoptive family and slowly integrated himself back into her life.
Ripping a 9 year old child away from the only family she has ever known, just because you feel like playing house after being incarcerated for your bad decisions is NOT the way you become a parent.
I can only hope that her biological father learned from his mistakes and truly is a good father to her. I hope that her adoptive family is able to be a part of her life and that at some point both parental parties can become a cohesive unit. And most importantly, I hope that Sonya is able to recover from the trauma she has endured through this experience and that all those who love her will do everything they can to ensure she overcomes any problems that this has/will cause her.
~Kim
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