On Christmas morning, after the last gift had been opened, Monica*, Ella’s foster mom, handed Ella an envelope. Ella opened it and read the inserted card, her eyes immediately filling with tears. Written on a piece of paper was one short question, “Will you please be our daughter?” In a few miraculous seconds, Ella’s longtime dream finally came true—she had a family.

Ella was placed in foster care when it was discovered that she was being neglected by her parents, as both of them suffering with substance abuse. At 12 years old, Ella was fearful of foster care. Fortunately, Ella was placed with Family Care Network foster parents Monica and Ted, two stable and caring individuals. While Ella’s foster family tried to make her transition into care a positive one, Ella suffered many setbacks and had to work to overcome many obstacles during her first few months in their home. One such obstacle that Ella struggled with greatly was obeying her foster parents. Even the most basic house rules, such as returning home after school, were hard for her. Ella was used to staying out late and doing as she pleased with her friends. At first, Ella rebelled against Monica and Ted’s structure, complaining that never before had anyone cared what she did. Ella’s Social Worker worked closely with the family, providing the parents support, while helping Ella to slowly adjust to new expectations.

After several months, Ella adapted to her new home. She learned that Monica and Ted wanted only the best for her and welcomed her to become a part of their family. As Ella matured through her first year in foster care, she proved herself to be a very kind and insightful person, growing to care deeply for her foster family and, in turn, increasing her own sense of self-worth.

Monica and Ted’s adoption question for Ella was not made lightly; before asking Ella, the family had made sure that they could commit to providing Ella with a lifetime of love and care, as Ella had been let down many times in her young life. And after seeing the look on Ella’s face as she read the note, Monica and Ted were positive that they had made the right decision. They were now a family—that morning and every morning thereafter.

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*names and photos of clients are ficticious to protect their identity