People rally to dad who didn't pick up former foster daughter in the middle of the night

Many foster parents do their best to provide children with loving homes and stability, but some situations are more challenging than others. One couple encountered this with a foster child, leading the 39-year-old dad, u/Ok_Fly_8430, to ask Reddit if he made the right call by refusing to pick up his former foster daughter in the middle of the night.

"Two years ago, my wife (37f) and I decided to foster. We have 3 children and felt terrible that there were kids out in the world who needed a loving home," the man began. "Our first two placements only lasted a few days. It was fine. But then we were placed with 11-year-old Olivia. We were her 5th foster home since she was 9. My wife and I literally tried everything to help, but she was rebellious. She ran away, broke things, stole things and lied. She lied so much that it was insane." The dad continued, "It was months and months of this. Just when we thought things were getting better, she would ruin it. The 6th time she ran away, we had enough."

The couple decided to have the girl removed from their house. "I knew you didn't care! I knew you didn't want me! You just wanted the money!" the girl told the couple as they made the decision. "My wife and I lost it. We reminded her how we listened to her, took her places she wanted to go and encouraged her. We told her that we didn't spend a dime of the foster care money. Instead, we saved it for her so she could have money when she turned 18," the man shared. The couple also showed the girl a bank account with thousands of dollars they had saved so she could have the money when she turned 18.

"I think it was at that point she realized we cared, but it was too late. She went back into the system and was not sure what happened. Life went on. We had another baby, we moved a few miles away," the man revealed. One day, the wife received a call from Olivia, who was now 13 years old and had run away from another foster home. The girl was living on the streets. "She made it to our old neighborhood. I told her that we moved. She asked us if we could pick her up from a certain location. She asked if we could take her in. She was crying, saying she loved the kids. She missed my wife's cooking. She wants me to teach her how to play piano," the dad recounted. The man felt bad for her but shared how there was no way that they could take her back.

"We feared she would run away again. So we told her that we would be there. We called the police instead and they took her in. The police contacted us a few days later, saying Olivia's foster parents were pressing charges. She stole a few things. Also, Olivia had a vape with drugs in it," the man pointed out. The couple was told the girl would probably be sent to a juvenile detention center until she turned 18. "They asked if we wanted any updates and we declined. We also asked them not to have her contact us again," the man expressed. The couple received mixed reactions about the situation from their friends, so they took to Reddit to ask for advice.

u/viotski shared, "I think you made one mistake with her by not seeking for her to stay one last time after you said she realized you cared. That was the relationship's turning point and could have resulted in her behavior getting better and better. But also, it could have not. You never know. I just think it is sad she never received that final chance after that turning point."

u/Wrong-Sink77 commented, "Even if you did go get her, I'm pretty sure you could've been charged with kidnapping. You tried to be her support system at 11 and from the looks of things, she only going further down the wrong path. You can't help someone who A.) doesn't want it and B.) will drag anyone down with them. It's sad because of how young she is, but you have to protect those in your house first." u/SomeKindofOnionMummy wrote, "I worked at a school for kids like this. It's really hard because you can see their potential, but they can't. And they seem determined to destroy their own lives."