What the Babushka Told Me Before I Left the Orphanage

The advice that changed who I was in 10 seconds and lasted for nearly 20 years.

This was the day I was leaving my orphanage.

This day played a huge role in shaping who I was to become for the next 20 years.

I remember very important words that were spoken to me by one of the babushkas, “Now be a good girl and don’t do anything to get sent back like the other children.”

That sentence changed my entire life at that very moment. I realized that if I can control myself and my life, I could control my destiny and make sure I didn’t end up at an orphanage again.

Adopted kids were always getting returned, including ones that I knew myself — so I had made that statement into my motto (can’t say I followed it that well that in the beginning though).

That sentence affected me for a long time to come, and it did more harm than good. I realized I had picked up the role of being someone else in order to please others and be…