An adult adoptee shares the story of meeting his birth mother for the first time.
Author, therapist, chef, weaver, and adoptee L. R. Heartsong has written a thought-provoking article entitled, Meeting My Birthmother: One Man’s Unexpected Gift. It was published on 9/19/15 via the Good Men Project’s website.
Upon reading it, several Adoption STAR staff members commented on how valuable the article is, largely because it is atypical when compared and contrasted to so many of the adoption reunion stories that are often shared on television, social media, or in print.
Kathy Crissey, Adoption STAR’s Director of Adoption, said, “I think it is a beautifully written story and while not all stories have fairy tale endings there is a lot of truth and reality in this. It certainly points to the fact that not all birth parent/child connections are what we might fantasize about, but it also seems to have lead to a sense of peace for the author and possibly resolved some adoption-related issues – not a bad thing to have happen.”
Rachael Metz, Adoption Social Worker and Family Advocate at Adoption STAR, said, “I think this is a good article to share. It is an adoptee’s experience and I think it is important to allow voices of all adoptees to be heard. It is a difficult piece, and certainly everyone has different experiences, but I think the author’s perspective might be helpful for some folks to read as perhaps they will relate because it is both difficult and different.”
Adoption STAR’s Birth Parent Department Supervisor Sue Shaw said, “I really liked this article. It brought me back to how important open adoption is. The author said that adopted children have no birth story…their story begins the day they are placed. I am amazed how far adoption has come in 30+ years and how so many adopted children do have a birth story that can be shared with them, as more adoptive parents are now involved in various aspects of the pregnancy, labor and delivery, etc.”
You can find a link to the full article here: Meeting My Birthmother: One Man’s Unexpected Gift