In a head-scratching story that seems straight out of a bizarre sitcom, a two-year-old American girl named Manu has found herself in a conundrum no toddler should ever face. The little one, who was born in Fort Lauderdale in September 2021, experienced a whirlwind transition when her parents, both undocumented immigrants, were taken into custody and subsequently deported back to Brazil this past February. As if that wasn’t enough to boggle the mind, the aftermath sees Manu navigating the complexities of bureaucratic red tape in a country she has never known as her own. Talk about a toddler’s adventure—albeit not the typical kind.

First of all, let’s get to the heart of the story: Manu’s parents made a choice to enter the U.S. illegally, and now that decision has led to their deportation, taking their daughter along for the ride. One might say that their parenting skills could use a little fine-tuning. Imagine being a toddler, ripped from the only place you know, without so much as a farewell to friends or favorite toys. Instead, the headlines suggested that Manu was simply “discarded” in Brazil, as if she were an old playpen and not a real child. It’s almost as if the media wants to paint this picture of the U.S. government as a callous villain rather than focusing on the choices the family made.

Now, as one might expect, the story doesn’t quite end with a happy reunion. Manu has found herself in a bureaucratic labyrinth, criticized more for the challenges of her circumstances rather than the choices that landed her there. Grammar school in Brazil is not a walk in the park, especially for a child who’s technically a tourist. Health care? Forget it! Without proper legal status in Brazil, Manu is missing out on crucial pediatric checkups. Try explaining that to a two-year-old who is probably more concerned with which cartoon to watch next, but it’s a reality her parents must face.

Manu, it turns out, is not even assured a safe landing in Brazil’s daycare system, and her family is left feeling like they’re riding a rollercoaster with no end in sight. Sure, she may enjoy the occasional trampoline session at her grandparents’ house—conveniently located next door—but the impacts of her parents’ decisions are larger than just a few playdates. After all, when she is in Brazil, she can only watch Baby Bus—or whatever happens to be the hottest kids’ programming in Portuguese—while in the U.S., she could have been enjoying a much more structured educational experience alongside other American kids.

One can’t help but notice the glaring contradictions in the Washington Post’s portrayal of Manu’s plight. The headline evokes sympathy for the detached child without a country, but the details tell a different story. It’s almost as if the publication wants readers to overlook the personal responsibility at play in this situation. Not to mention, the legal grounds regarding citizenship; a child born to American parents abroad is still an American citizen. So, while the media tries to paint a heartbreaking picture, the truth is that Manu’s predicament could have—and should have—been navigated differently had her parents made different choices.

The upshot is this: whether politicians or the media are involved, it’s easy to get swept up in a story that pulls at the heartstrings while ignoring the facts. As Manu jumps on her trampoline reflecting the last rays of sunlight, oblivious to the storm swirling around her, it becomes a poignant reminder that the decisions of adults can sometimes have unforeseen—often unfair—consequences for innocent fingers-in-the-dirt toddlers. Here’s hoping little Manu finds her footing, even if she’s currently trying to make sense of a world that has tossed her into deep waters far from the shores of America.