Anonymous wrote:I thought the pictures of Natalia with a girl the same age and with the same condition were really a compelling way to show Natalia was not the age stated. Natalia looked like a giant compared to her. Also what about all the nurses/orderlies in the mental hospital detailing all the crude sexual behavior she was exhibiting and they too thought she was much older than 6 years old. I’m not saying she was 22 but I def think she was more towards a teenager than a 1st grader.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As adoptive mother - I can guarantee that the agencies do not provide you all of the information. We found out startling info about my child when he was 14...and we used a country that was supposed to be the most ethical.
That being said, I think she was the age stated, or close, in the original paperwork. Her behaviour is indicative of RAD which is extremely common in the population of adopted kids who were in orphanages. I wish more people would take time to understand attachment disorders and the impact to every member of the family.
I am not even sure how people still think she was an adult. Pictures of her from 2009 show her front baby teeth had just fallen out and her adult teeth are starting to come in. Any dentist could easily have told them an approximate age just from her teeth.
Not always. I had a friend who still hadn't lost any teeth when she was 10 and had to have them pulled so the adult teeth could grow in. Sure, most kids start losing teeth between 4-6 but it's not 100% guaranteed.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As adoptive mother - I can guarantee that the agencies do not provide you all of the information. We found out startling info about my child when he was 14...and we used a country that was supposed to be the most ethical.
That being said, I think she was the age stated, or close, in the original paperwork. Her behaviour is indicative of RAD which is extremely common in the population of adopted kids who were in orphanages. I wish more people would take time to understand attachment disorders and the impact to every member of the family.
I am not even sure how people still think she was an adult. Pictures of her from 2009 show her front baby teeth had just fallen out and her adult teeth are starting to come in. Any dentist could easily have told them an approximate age just from her teeth.
Anonymous wrote:As adoptive mother - I can guarantee that the agencies do not provide you all of the information. We found out startling info about my child when he was 14...and we used a country that was supposed to be the most ethical.
That being said, I think she was the age stated, or close, in the original paperwork. Her behaviour is indicative of RAD which is extremely common in the population of adopted kids who were in orphanages. I wish more people would take time to understand attachment disorders and the impact to every member of the family.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Michael is the exact definition of an unreliable narrator. What a lunatic!!! This guy 100% sexually abused Natalie IMO. Total creep
I think your claim that the dad sexually abused her is outrageous. I do agree that he is immature and is nuts. Both parents are horrible people. I really feel sad for the son on the show. He has been through horrible trauma that has destroyed his life. I HATED the hot mike moment and feel like it was entirely inappropriate for them to show that. I hate the producers for adding that in.
The step father and mother were both abusive to Natalia. I also believe that Natalia was trying to hurt them but there should have been some type of placement for her that would have been safer. She should never have been placed in a home with children.
Anonymous wrote:I'm watching this now. I hate everyone in this show except the autistic son. He seems the only normal person in this whole mess.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm guessing Natalia was actually ~14yo when the Barnetts adopted her. Precocious puberty seems highly unlikely. She would have been around 17-18 when the Barnetts placed her in the apartment by herself.
I believe the agency in Ukraine lied and the first adoptive parents figured out Natalia's true age. Likely, she has attachment disorder and other mental/personality disorders as well. Combined with her severe dwarfism that causes her to be physically disabled, her mental disorders were probably too much for them to handle. Same with the Barnetts.
Natalia probably is manipulative and has violent thoughts. I believe it's highly likely she's a sociopath. Given her age when she was hospitalized and then living in the Lafayette apartment, it wouldn't surprise me if she was sexually active or exhibiting predatory behavior. Her disorders and behaviors most likely stem from in-utero and childhood trauma, and perhaps genetics.
I surmise the families who adopted her had cases of savior syndrome. At worst, one or both of the Barnetts are narcissists. Circumstances of the adoptions by the two families seem shady. The burden of dealing with a teen with extreme physical and mental disorders became too much for the families. I don't blame any of the adoptive parents for being unable to handle Natalia's issues. I know I couldn't handle it, which is why I would never seek out a child who came from Natalia's background. However, the Barnetts were negligent for placing Natalia in a non-therapeutic environment once they could no longer handle having her in their lives.
The story is very complex, and it's nearly impossible to glean the truth from any of the documentaries or articles about the case. I'm sure the Barnetts have lied repeatedly, and they appear manipulative and destructive, but I imagine there's also some truth in many of their stories and allegations. No doubt, my hypothesis is full of holes, but it's what I'm able to digest.
This makes the most sense but a therapeutic placement would have cost a fortune except if the government paid. I don't get why they didn't hand her over to child welfare.
Both families are shady. The second family took all her benefits and social security check pretty quickly.