Why Adoptees Search
Adoptees search for birth parents and other birth family members for a myriad of reasons at different times. These articles offer some insight into the reasons why.
10 Questions to Ask Before You Search Hollee McGinnis views search as one of the milestones in the lifelong adoption experience.
Making the Decision to Search In this chapter from her
Search Series, Shea Grimm discusses reasons why and times when many adoptees might start to search.
Search for Birthparents: What, When, and Why This article is addressed more to adoptive parents as a guideline in assisting their children and understanding the motivations, from the Special Needs Adoption Network.
Why Adoptees Search From the Report of the Connecticut Law Revision Commission to the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly.
Why Do Adoptees Search? Adoptee Tina Musso has helped many adoptees with their searches and relays some of the more common reasons expressed by those she has assisted.
Why? We Search A collection of comments from adoptees around the world.
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This collection of articles really gives several different viewpoints concerning why adoptees decide to search for their birth family. The key is to remember that whatever the reason, if it means alot to you then it is a valid reason. I admire adoptees that make the decision to search for their birth family. The process may seem simple when you are at the end of it, but it is also an emotionally and physically draining experience and sometimes finding your birth family does not completely answer your questions. Adoptees should be applauded for finding out more about themselves.
Posted by: jmrodg at 11/15/2005 03:41 PM
This collection of articles presents a really varied picture on why adoptees search, and while it of course no way represents the full picture of the many different reasons, it helped me understand that there are many variations on the story, and that not all reunions are fully negative or fully positive experiences. I think it's very easy for even those searching that need a bit of guidance to rely on what is portrayed in the media, on talk shows in particular. We see the end product of what is often years of searching, and see parents and children excited about reuniting, which really paints a false picture of the challenge it often is, both emotionally and simply logistically to locate parents and biological children that have been adopted. While we hear the story of the search, it is typically brushed over so that we can get to the true television magic of the experience -- the first moment mother and daughter or father and son or any combination of these two things meet after not having seen each other since the first moments of life. I think the most important element of the search for a biological parent or child, and what will fuel it and really determine the experience for the adoptee or the first mother or father is the initial questions that everyone searching should ask before they even begin. It's so important to know oneself before embarking on the emotionally exhausting experience of the search, and important to prepare oneself for the many obstacles, disappointments or even successes and joys that could ensue.
Posted by: bandstand at 11/13/2005 10:43 PM
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