While in many cases, parents who place their children up for adoption move on with their lives and never look back, one of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s adopted children, Zahara Jolie-Pitt’s biological mother wants to reconnect.
Nearly twelve years after Jolie (who is currently embroiled in a nasty divorce) adopted her first daughter in Ethiopia in July of 2005, the teen’s birth mother, Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, has expressed a desire to be a part of her child’s life.
“I just want her to know that I am alive and here and long to be able to speak with her,” Lebiso recently told DailyMail. “I do not want my daughter back but just to be in contact with her and be able to call her up and talk with her.”
While Lebiso went on to admit Jolie has provided Zahara with a life she could only dream of, that fact hasn’t dulled the longing to have a relationship with her daughter.
“Angelina has been more of a mother to her than I have ever been,” she explained. “She has been with her since she was a baby, but that does not mean I do not miss her. I miss her all the time. I think about her every day and long to hear her voice or see her face. I know when she has a birthday, but I am sad because I can’t celebrate it with her. I would so much want to celebrate with her on her birthday and other special days.”
She added, “I would like Zahara to know she has a mother who loves her as much as Angelina. I know her life is with Angelina is in another country and she speaks another language than me. She has a life that I could never give her, but I would still like to have some contact. I would like to see her face. She has grown into a beautiful woman, and I am so proud of her. My heart bursts because I am so proud.”
Delivering her final plea, Lebiso concluded, “We all die sometime and before I die I would like her to know about me and that she has family here in Ethiopia. I would ask Angelina to let me speak with her. I do not think it is too much to ask.”
Meanwhile, Jolie and Pitt have yet to respond. Needless to say, Lebiso’s request comes at a trying time for the former love birds. In case you’re playing catch-up, the pair is entangled in a heartbreaking divorce and custody battle over Zahara, 12, and their other five children, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, 15, Pax Jolie-Pitt, 13, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, 10, Knox Jolie-Pitt, 8, and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, 8. We can only help but wonder how the biological mother’s plea will play into all of this.
What are your thought’s on Zahara’s natural mother’s plea? Should Jolie grant her wish? Sound off in the comment section below.
