I love happy reunion stories. I really do! We hear, so frequently, the stories that go wrong. This is partly due to the fact that when people have a good experience, they'll likely tell one or two people but when people have a bad experience, that number jumps to the double digits. We're more likely to rant and rave than we are to applaud. Human nature. This is only further compounded by the fact that the mainstream media isn't all that quick to report the good news. Stories of happy reunion don't fall under the "if it bleeds, it leads" motto of newsrooms everywhere.

And... more

It's an old cliche: motherhood changes everything. Any expectant mother hears that old adage and rolls her eyes. I know I said, more than once, when my Husband and I were waiting on the arrival of our oldest son, that we already knew kids would change our lives. "That's the point!" Oh, how little we really knew in the end! Because, as cliche as it sounds, it is simply one of those truths. Motherhood does change everything.

Someone experiencing that right now is celebrity Nicole Richie. If you follow the star world at all, you know that she had a baby in January... more

Every now and then I read something that warms my heart. With all the gloom and doom that surrounds adoption (or, any subject), it's nice to see a glimmer of hope or happiness in words of another touched by the triad.

A post by an adoptee made me smile for many reasons this morning. It's not an all-around happy post as there are some issues that sit deep within but the sentiment makes me, as a birth mother, feel warm and fuzzy.

The post author talks about her "three... more

I read the sentence in my subject line in a this brief article that applauds New Jersey and their recent approval of a bill that allows adult adoptees to retain their Original Birth Certificates (OBC). I found myself nodding, feeling empathy for the many adoptees who are stifled and silenced by law makers and people in the general public who don't often understand the process of adoption nor the emotions involved.

It's made obvious that people don't understand... more

This article makes me want to look up every adoptee and every birth parent in the state of Utah and offer big hugs. Granted, not every adoptee and birth parent would want my hugs but they could have them if they wanted.

And that's the point. If they don't want a hug, then they can decline. If they do, then we both win via hugging. Right?

Utah doesn't seem to get the idea of the ability to decline hugs. Or, ya know, reunion contact.

A bill that would let adoptees find out the... more

It's been kind of doom-and-gloom up in here lately, no? Thankfully, I have a nice little reunion story to share with my readers. This one hails out of India. (Be sure to visit the article because the pictures included are beautiful.)

Minda, a nineteen-year-old adoptee, and her (adoptive) mother Catherine traveled back to India to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of the home from which she was adopted. Many other adoptees and family members traveled for the event as well. As she... more

I like happy stories, especially happy stories that talk about reuniting adoptees and their biological parents. So let's talk about one!

In 2006, a Canadian adoptee received an award called "The Courage to Come Back" award. It was featured in the newspaper. Well, his biological Great-Grandmother saw his picture. And that's all it took, folks. One picture in the newspaper. Apparently the adoptee looks quite like his half-brother. And apparently Great-Grandma... more

Closed. Open. Semi-open. In limbo. In reunion. No matter the status of your adoption, if you're a birth parent, you need to watch these two videos.

Entitled "Dear Mom," these two videos feature interviews with adoptees regarding their relinquishment, their knowledge of their adoption, opinions on the matter and issues surrounding search and reunion. Each adoptee (mostly female, one male) had a different experience. Each adoptee had a different point... more

Having worked for the television news media, I'm all too familiar with the general gloom and doom that is normally reported. Journalists, print or broadcast, know that "if it bleeds, it leads," and producers often push ratings and subscriptions (quantity) over things that viewers and readers would like to see or read (quality). However, sometimes that quality comes through and I'm always pleased to see when adoption is presented in a positive manner.

A reunion story out... more

What would you do in order to find your relinquished child? How far would you go? What lengths would you go to? Is anything off limits? What takes you out of your own personal comfort zone? Do you consider your placed child's comfort zone when making that decision? These are all questions that a birth parent must consider when choosing to begin a search.

Obviously, each answer will be different. Each mother will have her own personal boundaries. Each mother will view what is and is not appropriate in a different manner. Each mother will go about her search... more