The new world

Daily Inter Lake story and photos by Garrett Cheen

Adopted foreign-born children given a second chance to fit in on Eureka ranch

Annice Middleton, an adopted 14-year-old from Russia, ran away from her American home in a Dallas suburb one too many times.

That's how she found herself living in Eureka at a ranch-style boarding school for troubled adopted children.

"I have a lot of anger problems with my brothers and sisters," Middleton said.

She was adopted three years ago from Russia and is now living at Ranch For Kids, the only boarding school in the United States that specializes in helping foreign adopted children.

"When I first got here I was punching walls and stuff," Middleton said. "But this place has really changed me a lot. It's really helped me."

Many of the troubles with the adopted children stem from fetal alcohol syndrome, said Joyce Sutley, who started the boarding school in 2002 and still manages it today.

"Many of these kids have attachment disorder," Sutley said. "They have attachment issues. They may have lost their birth mother. They've been a victim of neglect and abuse. Most of their parents, especially from Russia, have a high probably of fetal alcohol abuse.

"Some of these kids have seen their parents murdered and raped. Some have been sexually molested before and after the orphanage. It's all bad. None of it is good."

Sometimes the children are too much for the family to manage. So what happens when adoption fails?

"Unfortunately, child protection services does a terrible job at helping normal families deal with dysfunctional children. They do a great job at helping children with horrible families," Sutley said. "It's not always the family's fault.

"Because these children many times exhibit such extreme behaviors it makes them difficult to function at home. They have no fear. Some children have accused their parents of abuse. Others have urinated on them, spread feces on the walls."

That's what Ranch For Kids is designed for. Children live and learn a work-based lifestyle. Their studies are punctuated with old-fashioned hard labor - working with cattle, chickens, horses and crops. In addition they focus on improving their social and behavioral skills.

"I like Montana and I like ranch life. I think the lifestyle is good for kids," Sutley said. "Horses are good for kids. The less movies, the less computers, the more healthy kids are. Here it's about chores, meaningful work and getting along with others. I think a good work ethic will get you a long ways in life."

Judy Williams put her adopted Russian daughter Anna, 17, through the Ranch For Kids program as a last resort. She said it saved her daughter's life.

"Anna, adopted at age 7, started out doing very well. She is very bright. But then in middle school she started to struggle," Williams said. "When Anna was around 2 years of age. Her mother started drinking and became really impaired. They would find Anna sitting on the floor with her mother passed out. They put Anna in an orphanage when she was 3 or 4."

By high school, Williams said, Anna was struggling with anger problems.

"My guess is she was angry with her Russian mom who gave her up to adoption. We went through all kinds of therapy with her. There was always one more medication that might help her out. Every physciatrist said 'Oh, we can fix her.' Nothing ever was fixed."

That's when Williams sent her to Ranch For Kids in Eureka.

"In just four to six months," Williams said, "there was already a big difference in her attitude. She was a better kid all the way around. I don't know what kind of miracles Joyce is working up there but it really worked."

Anna is now 18 and recently finished a stint with the Montana Job Corps. She is now looking for her first job.

Sutley said the success rate depends on each child's plan. She said some graduate and move on to Job Corps. Others go back to their adopted families and get another chance to work things out. And others move on to a second adopted familiess.

Sutley is the mother of two adopted Russian children, giving them another chance in providing them with their second American family.