A nine-year-old girl has been adopted from foster care by her second grade teacher in a story that’s being compared that of Matilda and Miss Honey.
Two years ago, Loralie Henry entered Zoe Henry’s second grade class in La Verne, California. She had been in foster care for years at the time, and single mom Zoe had no intention of adopting.
But as Zoe told KABC, ‘She came into my class, and I just took one look at her — her little freckles, her little birthmark.
The ‘minute [she] set eyes on her” is when Zoe thought to herself: ‘I am going to adopt this little girl. She’s my daughter.’
A nine-year-old girl has been adopted from foster care by her second grade teacher
They are being compared to Matilda and Miss Honey from the 1996 film Matilda, based on a 1988 book by Roald Dahl
Zoe had spent 1,445 days (about four years) in foster care, which was almost half of her life.
‘I was in foster care when I was 4. Then I went back to my biological mom when I was 5. Then back in foster care when I was 6,’ she said.
‘It was actually really scary, too. I didn’t know what to expect in other homes or what they would feed me,’ she said.
‘I didn’t really know what to do. So I thought, “Well, what should I do? Is there anyone waiting for me?” I was really scared. Until I met my mom. My second grade teacher.’
Zoe fell for Loralie immediately, and begged the little girl’s social workers to let her adopt her. Within two days, Loralie was moving in to the Henry home.
Zoe, a single mom, had no intention of adopting before she met Loralie, who was in foster care for nearly four years
Zoe fell for Loralie immediately, and begged the little girl’s social workers to let her adopt her
‘I remember the moment when we were sitting by the car, she’s like, “You’re going to come with me.” I was so surprised and happy,” Loralie said.
It’s taken two years, but the foster-to-adoption process was finally completed on November. 20, National Adoption Day, when Loralie was among 165 kids adopted in a joyous virtual ceremony.
Zoe held back tears as she told KABC: ‘She completes our family, she completes our life. She brings such adventure and joy and fun and spunkiness to everything that we do, so it’s perfect. It’s perfect. Don’t cry? OK.’
Biological parents have the right to contest these adoptions, but that didn’t happen in Loralie’s case.
‘She completes our family, she completes our life. She brings such adventure and joy and fun and spunkiness to everything,’ Zoe said
‘I was really scared. Until I met my mom. My second grade teacher,’ said Loralie
It’s taken two years, but the foster-to-adoption process was finally completed on Nov. 20, National Adoption Day, when Loralie was among 165 kids adopted in a joyous virtual ceremony
‘I know her mom really loves her. I know she really wanted to be a better part of her life,’ Zoe said. ‘But like I tell Loralie, her mom loved her so much that she would let her be adopted so that I can give her what she needed.’
The story is drawing comparisons to Matilda, the 1996 film based on a 1988 book by Roald Dahl.
In the movie version, Matilda — played by Mara Wilson — is a special child with magical powers who is miserable at home with her parents, who don’t treat her well.
She forms a special connection with her teacher, Miss Honey, who ends up adopting her.