This, I agree with.
This, I'm not sure, for a few reasons. ET has had a tough upbringing. ET had only just recently entered public schooling...social interaction outside of family and (fundamentalist Christian) church is still new to her. ET is very hormonal--read through her Instagram and there's no question on that. All these things make me thing she may just decide this is her lot in life. She found someone who cares about her and she'll take what comes with it. (Please don't quote this to argue that at 15 she "can't" make that decision. I get that, and I agree. She is a child, she does not have the mental capacity to, and what's happening here is criminal. That doesn't mean SHE agrees with that. SHE feels she's in love. We as adults get what's going on. She as a child doesn't, but feels she does. So let's stop arguing that she couldn't have decided and realize that at several points along the way she did, and no one stopped/protected her from her own self, and her decisions were driven by not being equipped to make them, so they were poor. And now we're here, all of us trying to figure out how to get her back so she can grow up like we've all had the opportunity to do.)
As someone who was just as hormonal growing up, I feel so much for her. I only had the last factor, but I remember 13-16 vividly like it was yesterday (I'm in my early 30's now). Minor slights from those that I thought were friends, or "attacks" from those I thought were competitors, or being "ignored" by someone I was invested in (ignored meaning an hour lapse in conversation when I wanted to be having it) could throw me into a complete irrational tirade one moment, only to level out the next because of a nice gesture or glimpse of hope provided by someone else, or someone especially important to me. If you read ET's Instagram, it's the same story. Extreme highs and lows every single day.
I'm incredibly lucky no one preyed on that vulnerability and desperate need to just be loved and catered to in my hormonal state. Or, was I "lucky" in that regard, or just lucky I had incredible parents who made sure I wasn't? ET didn't get the latter until recently (I know people will debate me on this, but we have to assume she was placed with her Dad because he is a good person for her, until reasons to believe otherwise emerge). And lucky to have teachers who didn't take advantage? The hormones leveled out, and I grew up to realize that most of the qualities people harped on that threw me into irrational states made me beautiful. And my low self esteem slowly grew into self confidence. But it couldn't easily have gone in the other direction. EASILY.
We need to get this girl home so she has the same opportunity to grow up and realize how beautiful and special she is. It's going to take a bit more for her to do so at this point than your average hormonal girl, however. Between having to recover from this and having to ensure her home life gets in order, this girl deserves some major attention and nuturing when she's finally found.
