I've been watching this story with some interest, as it has all the hallmarks of a Girl's Own Adventure Story. Not a homeschooling story, but certainly fascinating to parents of teens. Basically, Jakadrien Turner ran away from home last year when she was 14. Why? Well, her grandmother claims it was her parent's recent divorce and the death of her grandfather. Her mother mentions something about being grounded over low grades and losing her Facebook account. Only Jakadrien knows for sure, and she's not yet available for interview. And even if she was, who knows what she'd say? Runaway Jakadrien was picked up for shoplifting in Houston, and gave the police the name "Tika Lanay Cortez", which turns out to belong to a Columbian illegal immigrant. She stuck to her tale, even through court proceedings and interviews with Columbian Embassy officials. (Presumably she has a lot more Spanish than her grandmother realizes.) So, she was deported back to Columbia where she was given papers and worked... somewhere. She claims to have worked as a maid, as a translator, and for an airline. Columbian officials say they got her a job at a call center. She continued to maintain her cover identity as "Tika" on a new Facebook page, referring to herself as 21, and claiming Columbia was her "real home"... at least until she got tired of living there and began saying that actually her "real home" was Barbados. And boy, does the kid like to spin a tale, posting on her Facebook that the rumours of her death are untrue - she was just in a coma for a month! :lol: Somehow her grandmother found her on Facebook and alerted Columbian authorities, who promptly picked her up and put her in "protective custody". Eventually, though, she'll be shipped back to the United States where her grandmother is quoted as saying: But that's not going to happen. Because not only did this girl NOT choose to voluntarily return home (and in fact, may be returning under protest), but she's also pregnant. Which means that baby's got a father in Columbia, who may or may not be interested in the welfare of his child. Not to mention, she's embarrassed a lot of different officials, and may be facing charges for having perpetuated a fraud on police and immigration. One last question, where is the real "Tika Lanay Cortez"? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/jakadrien-turner-texas-te_n_1189421.html
This sounds like that Leonardo DiCaprio movie, where this kid poses as a pilot, FBI agent, doctor, lawyer, and I don't know what else till Tom Hanks finally captures him. Holy cow, truth really is stranger than fiction!
Ok, I realize this sucks for the family and it's really not funny if you're involved. But I'm not involved and it's really stinking hilarious.
Aaaand... she's home! http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57354271/texas-teen-mistakenly-deported-reunites-with-mom/ Not looking half as "happy" as her family's attorney claims. Grandma's still insisting that "She looks like a kid, she acts like a kid. How could they think she wasn't a kid?" But looking at that photo, I can easily see how officials thought they were dealing with a young adult. Anyone taking bets on how long before she runs away again? I was 18 when I got my first taste of being a responsible(ish) adult, living on an Army Base for three months. Coming home to a mum who expected me to be her little girl was very jarring. It wasn't a month later that I walked out the door, found myself a place of my own, and began supporting myself. Once that bell's rung, it's very hard to unring. I don't see this girl settling down to high school and curfews and household chores and a weekly allowance. (Not to mention, there's that baby on the way...)
I with you, Meg! She was there BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO BE. She was lying about her name and age to immigration officials and Columbian officials. If she wanted to be the "little girl", I've no doubt she could make herself come across all sweet and innocent. But I also have no doubt that she could pass herself off for a good bit older than she really was. And living on the streets for a good while in the U.S. before she was picked up I'm sure that gave her the street-smarts she needed to pull it off successfully. As far as baby goes, does she even know who the father is? Maybe, maybe not.
I'm really curious about that, actually... Wonder if Babydaddy will be popping up out of the woodwork soon? The age of consent in Columbia is 14, so it doesn't matter if he knew her real age or not. She was old enough to be in a sexual relationship. I have no idea what his legal rights would be, with regards to the child. If the child's born in the US, can he use it to get himself a green card? My 15yo daughter (regularly mistaken for an 18+ college student) looked at the photo and said, "She's younger than me? She looks older!" :lol: I think she's in awe of Jakadrien's chutzpah, sort of in the same way you can't help but be impressed by a massive natural disaster.
Sometimes you just have to accept that your baby girl has grown up, for better or for worse. I don't envy the family... they're responsible for this young lady. But if they don't handle things right (or even if they do!), she'll just run away again. She has no reason to be afraid of the streets. (Crossing my fingers she hasn't picked up any substance abuse problems, diseases, etc....) I haven't a clue where you'd go forward from this. Beyond praying that the girl sees the light and decides to apply herself to getting her GED at an adult high school, so she can go to college and get better jobs than the ones she's had so far.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!! In this case for worse!!!!!!! This is so fantastic that I am rolling. I know it isn't funny but the story sounds so fabricated, yet it is true, I can't help laughing. :lol: :lol:
If she properly invests the money she could make from tabloids, late night telivision, the ghost written book, and the movie, she and her child will have little to worry about financially. If I was G-ma , I would want her back for a while also. LOL
