FACESofADOPTION

I was an open adoption; adopted as a baby. My biological parents were both young-my mom was 13 when I was born and my dad was 16. My biological parents and my adoptive parents agreed to stay in contact with each other after I was born and my biological parents wrote letters to my parents and me as I grew up. I had a very positive upbringing with my adoptive parents constantly telling me how much my birth parents loved me and when I was 16, I finally read these letters that were always written to me. I found out that my birth parents had stayed together, got married when they were older, and had two more children. At 18, on Fourth of July weekend, after a lot of emailing and texting and talking back and forth, my biological family came to my home town and I met them for the first time. Ever since I have become incredibly close to my birth family and we constantly talk to each other and every year I visit them for a week or so. It’s been 5+ years since we met face to face and my birth mom has come to my college graduation, I’ve met other members of my birth family, I can see my siblings grow up and they are as much part of my life as my adoptive family is.