Amy Answers Your Questions

Since we didn't get to all of your questions during our Top 10 Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Parents Knew webinar, we're answering some of them here!

Here are some comments from Amy.

Did you ever feel like your parents talked about adoption TOO much - or feel like your bad days/feelings were blamed on being adopted?
My parents were very open about adoption while I was growing up. I do not feel like they talked about it too much. They seized natural opportunities to discuss it rather than a formal sit-down discussion. It felt comfortable.

They did not blame things on adoption, which was really important. If we had a struggle in a particular area, they did not focus on adoption as the cause of the problem. This helped us to feel like "normal" kids.

How did your parents, or how should other parents, introduce the idea of searching for birth parents?
The topic of searching for birth parents was introduced gradually, just as the topic of adoption was. They mentioned it in a way I could understand when I was young and then explained it more and more as I matured. They kept it simple. They let me know it was something I had a right to do. It was my decision and they would support it. They initiated the conversations about searching and this was imperative for me. I needed to know they would be okay with this...I needed this permission, because deep down inside I knew I'd want to search one day.