Parents Can’t Seem to Connect With Adopted Girl, Learn She Visits Her Former Foster Family – Story of the Day

Karina and Isaac recently adopted a young girl, Lila, but she didn't seem to adapt to their home and was so quiet. Due to their concern, they didn't let her leave the house alone. But one day, they discovered that the girl was visiting her last foster family for a surprising reason.

"Hello?" Karina answered the phone while cleaning her kitchen counter with a rag. Caller ID said it was an unknown number, so she was not prepared to hear the person who came on the line.

"Mrs. Pearson? This is Fiona Johnson, the principal's assistant at Riverview Elementary School," a female voice stated, and Karina stopped moving the rag around to focus entirely on the call.

Karina and Isaac had recently adopted ten-year-old Lila, and she was attending that school. For some reason, the girl was not adapting well to their home. At least, not the way Karina hoped. She was quiet, reserved, and barely wanted to interact with them, even though she had known them for a long time.

"I think I know where she's going now," she told Isaac, whose eyebrows contorted. He didn't remember this road. Not yet anyway. But Karina wouldn't forget it.

The adoption process was long and tedious, and Lila never said anything against it. Social services would've noted if the girl didn't want to join their family. But she said nothing and just accepted the adoption readily.

However, her attitude worried Karina every day, and she had no idea what to do after only a month of having her home and barely a week since she started the new school year at the local elementary. So it was odd that the principal's assistant was calling her already.

"Yes? Is there something wrong?" she asked, her fingernails going to her mouth in concern.

"Mrs. Pearson, I was calling to ask you that question. Your daughter, Lila, has not been at school for the past two days. Is there something wrong at home?" Mrs. Johnson inquired, sounding confused.

"What? No, Mrs. Johnson. You must be wrong. My husband and I drive Lila to school every day. We don't let her go out on her own just yet. She's adopted and adapting to her new environment. We haven't even let her sign up for extracurriculars yet because we're keeping a close watch on her," Karina replied, feeling sure they had the wrong student.

Mrs. Johnson took a few seconds to answer, then sighed. "Well, ma'am. Let me check a few things out and see if we're wrong. Maybe, her homeroom teacher made a mistake or something," she stated and said goodbye.

Karina put down the phone and continued cleaning. Although she had been entirely confident while talking to the assistant, her mind started to spin several scenarios. Maybe it was Lila. And if she wasn't at school, what could she be doing? Where was she going?

Finally, she shook her head and gasped after seeing the time on her phone. It was time to pick Lila up from school, and Karina would subtly ask her about it.

***

Lila was right at the school's front entrance when Karina arrived, and she climbed in the car just like she did every day. Karina tried to make conversation with her.

"How was school?"

"Fine," Lila said and stared out of the window.

Karina sighed and didn't want to push. She shook her doubts away once again and went about her day as usual.

But that night, she spoke to Isaac about it while they were getting ready for bed. Her husband was concerned. "I don't think it's that hard to confuse absent kids at school. Plus, Lila is the newest student. That makes her stand out and her absence notable," he explained, scratching his chin in deep thought.

"Ok, let's do this. Tomorrow, we'll drive her together and wait for a while. If she escapes or something, we'll spot her," Karina suggested, and although it seemed wrong, Isaac agreed.

***

"Bye, dear. Have a nice day at school," Karina grinned at Lila as she exited their car and started walking towards the school. Once she was out of earshot, Karina turned to Isaac. "Let's go over there and hide. If she sees us still here, she won't do anything."

A few minutes later, they saw Lila coming out of the entrance. "Oh my god! She's actually escaping," Isaac stated, shocked. "We have to scold her."

"No! Let's follow her. She's been begging to go out on her own lately, remember? Clearly, she wants to be somewhere specific, and we need to know," she countered, and her husband saw the wisdom in that.

Surprisingly, Lila walked almost 30 minutes from the school, and the farther she went, the more confused they became until they reached a familiar road. Karina frowned.

"I think I know where she's going now," she told Isaac, whose eyebrows contorted. He didn't remember this road. Not yet anyway. But Karina wouldn't forget it.

But at last, Lila reached a house and went right in through the front door. It was a modest home, and there was a wheelchair ramp to access it. Finally, Isaac remembered where they were.

"She's coming to see her foster parents?" he asked his wife, but she shook her head.

"I don't think so," Karina replied, wetting her lips with her mouth. "There are no cars here. Her foster parents both have jobs. I think she's here to see their daughter. You remember her, right?"

"Right," he muttered, staring at the house.

Months ago, they met Lila right in this home for the first time. Isaac and Karina didn't pay much attention to the family, but they were nice enough and had a 13-year-old daughter, Sandra, who used a wheelchair due to a debilitating disease. She was sweet and wanted the best for the girl her parents were fostering.

"I should've thought about this. Lila bonded with that girl. They're sisters," Karina sighed, closing her eyes. Isaac patted her shoulder as they watched from outside the home.

Hours later, Lila came out and was shocked to see her adopted parents waiting. They had parked the car and waited for her for a long time. The young girl looked down with a frown, thinking she would be in trouble.

"Is this where you wanted to go all those times you asked? To see your sister?" Karina asked, kneeling to meet her eyes.

Lila bit her bottom lip and nodded without a word. "You wouldn't let me go out on my own, so I just left school," she explained. "Sandra needs me. I help her cook and keep her from getting bored since she can't go to school for a while."

The young girl knew she had done wrong, but Karina also realized she had made a mistake, too.

"Honey, we don't want to keep you from Sandra, especially if you think of her as your sister. But I want you to know that skipping school is wrong. Running somewhere without telling us is wrong," Karina stated calmly.

Lila nodded, but she wasn't expecting her adoptive mom's following words.

"So, here's what we'll do. You go to school every day, and after, I'll drive you here myself and pick you up later."

Lila's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked up at Isaac, who was smiling and nodding in agreement. Finally, their girl grinned shyly and hugged Karina for the first time. The new mom didn't know how to contain her emotions but did her best not to spook her daughter.

Once they separated, Karina got up and saw how her husband's eyes had watered too. They gave each other a look and got in their car. They both knew it was a pivotal moment in their relationship with their daughter, and they had done an excellent job.

Karina and Isaac kept their promise to Lila. They drove her to Sandra's house every afternoon and even invited her on outings on the weekends. Their daughter's attitude around the house made a huge turn. She was happy and talkative, trusting Karina with almost everything she needed.

A few months later, Lila finally started calling them mom and dad. Karina knew that would not have been possible if they hadn't discovered that all she wanted was to see Sandra. Their acceptance of her choices made all the difference.

What can we learn from this story?

• Adoptive parents must be patient, understanding, willing to listen, and open-minded. Karina and Isaac had a hard time trying to make Lila adapt to her new environment. But once they discovered what she wanted, everything else fell into place.
• Communication is vitally important to create a good relationship with your kids. Once Karina and Isaac showed Lila that they were willing to listen, it changed their relationship. She opened up often and trusted them with everything.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who adopted a little boy and discovered he was her biological brother.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.