While sharing medical information is important in that life-altering way, sharing information regarding your childhood is equally important. Whether your childhood was storybook or horror flick, that information can be vastly interesting to your relinquished child.

No point is too small to share. Maybe you spent summer afternoons under a tree reading while everyone else was doing something far more physical. Maybe your child would like to know that because they felt silly for always being the bookworm. Maybe you have fabulous memories of summer camp to pass on. Maybe you have great sleepover at Grandma stories. Maybe everything seems silly and mundane. But it's a great way for your child to get to know you in ways that they weren't privy. As an example, how many times have your parented children heard the story of your little brother was trying to throw a rock in the creek and accidentally threw it sideways and hit you in the head? Umpteen? Write it down for your placed child to laugh at as well.

If your child is an adult, you can feel free to share the information in as much detail as you feel comfortable with sharing. Instances of abuse are hard to talk about but it may let your relinquished child better understand your character and the reasons why you act in certain ways. However, if your child is still a child, you need to present such information in an age appropriate manner. Details can be saved for adulthood. Simply saying, "My home life was not safe," might be detail enough for a five year old. Be sure to discuss with your child's parents how much detail about serious issues they want shared at any given time.

Don't forget to talk about the school days of your childhood! Talk about your favorite subjects, your least favorite subjects, how you related to friends or whether you were a loner.

Also a great subject of childhood memories would be holidays. Didn't celebrate them in your family? Talk about how that made you feel or how that affected your decision to celebrate or not as an adult.

In short: sharing your childhood memories will give your placed child a window into your past. True, we shouldn't live in our past and, most often, we are vastly different people than we were ate the age of seven or eight. But it's no secret that our childhood's shape our future in good ways or bad. Sharing it will be a learning experience for both of you.



Photo Credit.