Colombia Forum

Vikingo
Joined 2009
Posts: 1680

3 years ago

This child will go far

3 years ago

A now 13 year old we took into our home 4 years ago exceeded all of our expectations.
It is always a risk getting involved with and taking care of a child you don't know much about, who by the genes of her parents or neglected upbringing during her childhood may be lazy, not interested in school or can't learn, is mischievous, lies, is lewd, even steals.
Her mothers history wasn't exactly encouraging either, being a maid her entire life, bouts with alcohol and unable or should we say unwilling to support her children who have been raised, fed and clothed by grandma all those years. But when the oldest then 16 asked my wife for a job, tearfully telling her story how she found her grandma dead in bed that morning, her mother hadn't come home for days and that she and her little sister haven't had anything to eat, the wife went into action, called the funeral home to pick up the remains, sent the girl home with enough food and told her she could start work in the morning. After a while we realized, the 16 year old couldn't possible buy food , pay rent and utilities with her meagre wages by learning how to do nails. So we decided to give the girls a home and we never regretted it for a moment.
The 16 year old who is 20 now puts in an honest days work, the 13 year old is hell bent to succeed in her studies, established a brilliant scholastic record and does additional home work until late into the night and when wife ordered her to go to bed she caught her reading books in bed she downloaded on her cell phone, classic books they are discussing in school. We are blown away by her determination to excel, somewhat unusual with today's kids who prefer to watch novelas on TV and have fun, but not her, she is glued to her laptop, studying on Google, she says. When she heard of a poor neighbour ready to give birth she learned on Google how to assist during delivery and offered the woman her help. We thought it was hilarious, but this kid is dead serious. Can't wait to hear her tell us, how she had a beautiful moment watching the birth of a baby.
I started getting very curios as to what's driving this girl and from where she got her intellect, it couldn't be her mother of all people, so who was the father she has never known?
Her mother refused to talk about it, even forbade her daughter to ask. When we tried to adopt the girl and involved the local Social Service 'Bienestar' last year their attorney finally made her talk by threatening to pursue child abandonment (aren't Colombian attorneys clever?). She worked in a doctors household for many years, he is the father and wanted to keep the child, so she was hiding the girl from him and moved clear across town. And now everything fell into place. Needles to say, these girls gave my final years a meaningful purpose and much joy.
On the image at age 9 she is on her way to a private 'colegio' with an unforgettable expression on her face and the end of public school for her come hell or high water.

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