"They were mine now" - When Simone Biles opened up on how counseling sessions helped her form bond with adoptive parents

Simone Biles once opened up on how counseling played an important role in building a connection with her adoptive parents. Biles and her sister Adria were adopted by Ronald and Nellie when they were six and four, respectively, following their biological mother's failure to take care of them due to drug and alcohol addiction.

Although the adoption process was completed on November 7, 2003, Biles and Adria made frequent visits to Ronald and Nellie during Spring break, which the gymnast describes was like her own "Christmas miracle." On one such visit to her grandparents' home a year before the adoption, Nellie enrolled the family in counseling.

In her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance published in 2016, Biles revealed that while the adoption process was in progress along with the counseling, she and Adria called Ronald and Nellie Grandpa and Grandma.

Biles further highlighted how the counseling helped with the transition, making her feel a deep sense of trust and belonging even before the adoption was finalized.

"All I remember is being really glad to be back in Spring," Biles said. "It was like my own Christmas miracle. Even though my grandparents started the process of adopting Adria and me as soon as we got back, we still called them Grandma and Grandpa.

"Grandma enrolled our family in counseling to get us through the transition and bring us together," Biles added. "She wanted us to know we could rely on her and my grandpa one hundred percent. And you know what? I did feel that I could depend on them. At a certain point, we all broke through to a deep-down understanding that we were a family. We belonged to each other. They were mine now, and I was theirs, even though the court didn’t formally approve our adoption for another year."

---

"He’s your father” - When Simone Biles' mother made her realized she was adopted

Simone Biles participates in a workout in Katy, Texas. (Photo by Getty Images)

In her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, Simone Biles reflected on the moment her mother made her realize they were adopted and now had a permanent home. On the day when Ronald and Nellie welcomed Biles and Adria home, the sisters wished them goodnight by addressing Grandma and Grandpa.

Nellie called the sisters back and explained that they were now officially adopted, making her mother and Ronald their father.

“'Good night, Grandma!, I called as I was skipping out of the kitchen with Adria on my heels," Biles wrote.

Reflecting on Nellie's words, Biles wrote:

“You know, girls,' she said as we stood in front of her, 'we adopted you both today. So I’m your mother now, and he' —she pointed at my grandpa, who was wiping the table mats—'he’s your father.'"

Ronlad and Nellie also built World Champions Center, an elite level gymnastics facility in 2014 for Simone Biles.