Finding Your Birth Parents
Those creepy old people you used to live with keep calling you. They’re your parents, and as much as you love them, you still have a hard time believing that they physically made you.
We’ve all had the feeling that we’re adopted at one point or another. In fact, it’s possible that you’ve even prayed that you aren’t bound to your family by blood. Unfortunately, you’re probably stuck with them. But an estimated 6-10 million people in the United States are adoptees. With the rate Angelina Jolie is going, the numbers can only grow!
The act of adoption has become more of a societal norm, as well as publicly discussing it. It used to be something that was kept a secret, until it was necessary for the information to be revealed. But now with older and multiracial adoptions, it’s become increasingly difficult to keep a secret. Adoption is definitely a subject that is more widely accepted and taught to small children.
Since it’s such a widely discussed topic, it is easier than ever to find information about your own adoption. There are numerous sites out there dedicated to helping adoptees find their birth families and support for those on the emotional journey.
A really good resource to use is Adoption.com. It has information for mothers who want to adopt as well as for women who want to put their child up for adoption. There is a lot of information about how to contact your birth family as well as support for adoptees.
Adoption Blog creates a network for adoptees to come together and help each other.
But, if you’re serious about finding your birth parents, you’ll need to do some heavy people searching. First, you’ll want to obtain your adoption records, which will tell you the names of your birth parents. The laws about adoption papers vary from State to State, but be sure to look in the State where the adoption was finalized and not where you were born. Once you have obtained names, and even locations, then you can use a people search engine like PrivateEye to easily locate contact information. It will pull up basic contact info such as telephone numbers, addresses, and birth dates. If you’re so inclined, you can easily run a background or criminal check at the same time.
Whether or not those hearing impaired Floridians are in fact your real folks, adoption is no longer a taboo subject. If you aren’t ready to deal with the repercussions of finding your biological parents, then take your time. You might come from a generation where it wasn’t cool to tell everyone on the playground, but it is now. So be proud and be loud. You’re adopted!
