The weekend the Whitt family first met Brittany, a winter storm struck the area.

"She was to stay with us for just the weekend to see if we were the right family for her," Peggy Whitt explains. "Then the ice storm hit and she was with us for longer. We bonded right away."

Brittany was nine years old then. Removed from her birth home because of abuse, the little girl was angry and disruptive. She had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and could neither read nor write.

Brittany's behavior problems made it difficult for her to stay in public school. Aftercare programs refused to accept her. She was too disruptive, too difficult, they said.

When Whitt looked at the little girl, she saw the problems, but, most of all, she saw potential.

"My feelings for her were always -- this is my child," her mother says. "I just fell in love with her."

Whitt, who worked two jobs, was set on making things better for Brittany. With help from books, Youth Villages and her own research, she came to understand Brittany's learning disabilities. She called the school board and began working closely with Brittany's teachers. An after-school learning center provided Brittany with intensive one-on-one help in reading and math.

"She's come a long way," Whitt says. "She learned to read and write and is improving in math. Even her principal is impressed by how far she has come."

At home, Brittany began to take care of a puppy -- her own dog.

"She learned a lot about love by caring for her dog," her mother says. "Underneath that hard look on her face, I could see the compassion in her eyes. She talks to the dog like it's her child."

As time passed and mother and daughter discovered the many things they had in common, their relationship intensified. They both love to sing, shop and travel.

"We work together -- she fixes my lunch when I iron her favorite pair of pants," Whitt says. "It's like any mother-and-daughter relationship. We have fun together."