My Bad Behavior and How Can i Solve

Most parents don’t get to choose their kids, but mine did. My parents chose to adopt a special needs child because they felt in their hearts it was what they were called to do. My mom and dad honestly had no idea what they were getting into or exactly what was required. They only knew what needed to be done.

My parents knew that God wanted them to adopt a child with physical problems, and also to adopt internationally. They received a huge book of photos showing kids from all over the world that needed a family. There were boys and girls from infants to fourteen years old; individual kids, and groups of siblings; healthy kids, and kids with problems.

My parents saw a page in the book that read “Maria, #6048, date of birth 3-92. Maria is a smiling child from Russia. She enjoys helping her teachers and playing with her friends. Her right leg is underdeveloped and will require prosthetic intervention.” My mom and dad said I wasn’t smiling in the photo, and that I looked really hopeless. They kept on looking at all the other kids, but I stood out among all the others because when they saw my picture, they knew in their hearts that I was meant to be part of their family.

It took around nine months to have the preparations for my adoption finished; there was so much that had to be done before: adoption papers, immigration papers, plane tickets, passports, visas, a place to stay, a car, and a translator for while they were in Russia. It seemed like the paperwork and expenses would never end!

My mom and dad’s family were ecstatic and were telling their friends about how Jeff and Cindy would soon be getting their little girl from Russia. Family and friends bought me loads of clothes and toys. My new home was ready for me to arrive. All that was needed was for me to move in.

My parents were very concerned because I was so small. At four and half years old, I only weighed 24 pounds. I was so small and malnourished that I could not be placed on the growth charts. My leg had rickets, and my hair would fall out if it was brushed too hard. My mom and dad were scared for me because of my small size. They could see that my leg was different, but worried that something else could be wrong and that my life could be in danger.

The day came when my mom and dad arrived in Russia to get me. On a cold, snowy, October afternoon, I was brought to the apartment where my parents were staying. The first meeting didn’t go well at all. The adoption people put me in my dad’s arms, but I began crying, and immediately went back to the people who had brought me to the apartment. My parents had hoped and prayed that we would meet and everything would get off to a good start, but that’s not what happened.

The two weeks my parents spent with me in Russia were hard because of my bad behavior. I said bad words, spit on my mom and dad, punched my dad in the face, tore through my parent’s suitcases again and again, and called them bad names.

My mom and dad went through with the adoption anyway. While we were in Krasnoyarsk, we were interviewed by a TV station about my adoption. They wanted to know why an American couple would come all the way to adopt a child with so many problems. I screamed during the interview, but it was edited to show me being adopted by a young, American couple and taken to a new life.

Finally, all the paperwork was finished and it was time to go home to the United States. My mom and dad said that we got on a plane and flew from Krasnoyarsk to Moscow, Moscow to New York, and then on to Shreveport. While we were on the plane, I was crawling up and down the aisle receiving goodies from people. Everyone who was on the plane knew who I was because they saw me on TV. I was famous!

Throughout the years, I have wondered why my biological parents gave me up for adoption. Sometimes it hurts, but I’ve realized that if they hadn’t given me up, I may not be alive. My mom and dad wouldn’t have found me in the photo listings, and I’d have never been their little girl. The reason why Jeff and Cindy went all the way to Russia for me is because the Lord led them to me. They followed their hearts from Louisiana to Siberia to let me be a part of their family.