27 August 2022 2:46
"I Got the Chance to Be Somebody’s Daughter" is a blog post about my adoption and different facts about adoption. The blog will be mostly personal, but other things will be included to make the writing more interesting and informative. I was going to write a life story detailing everything that happened to me leading up to my adoption, but some of it is traumatic. The details were hard to write out so I'm thinking I'll either a story time for Youtube or the podcast. I already wrote one part and I keep looking at it in my drafts, but I can't bring myself to post it.
My Birth Story
I was born on February 3, 1987, in Kentucky. I am the only child of my biological parents. On my mother's side, I have two half-brothers, on my father’s side, I have three half-sisters and one half-brother. I lived with my mother until around First grade. I'm not completely sure exactly what year I went into foster care I know I was there in 2nd grade. There are very few exact dates I remember to mark that time. I remember some things and others I have been told by other people. My father says I visited him when I was 7 which would match up with when I went into foster care. I do remember visiting him, but I don’t remember the exact date.
What is a Foster Child?
According to Dictionary.com the definition of a foster child is a child raised by someone who is not its natural or adoptive parent. So, for me, I was categorized as a foster child from 1993-1997. I was adopted in 1997 but I don’t know the exact date. My mom has some of the paperwork on my adoption and I did read it at some point. They redact a lot especially names which I don’t completely understand in my situation because I had visitation with my mother. This means I knew her name and my father’s names, but they still redacted that information. I lived in 3 different foster families before I got adopted by my last foster family.
Different Facts about Adoption
There are many different types of adoption, and each one has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Open adoption, for example, allows the adopted child to have some contact with their birth family, while closed adoption does not. Some adoptions are done through agencies, while others are private. Adoption can be a wonderful way to build a family, but it is not without its challenges. According to Adoption Network, About 135,000 children are adopted in the United States each year. Of non- stepparent adoptions, about 59% are from the child welfare (or foster) system, 26% are from other countries, and 15% are voluntarily relinquished, American babies.
Why I chose to be adopted
For me choosing to be adopted was a simple decision. I loved my family, and I was tired of being moved. I’m not sure if in foster care you have a choice in your adoption, but my adoptive parents did ask us if we wanted to be adopted. My mom told me it is not always normal for siblings to be placed together. I joke and say that we were just too bad without one another for them to have any other option. In the family I adopted into I gained 5 brothers and one sister. My dad had two sons from a previous marriage, my mom had two sons and one daughter from a previous marriage, and they adopted another child when they adopted us.
What life is like as an adopted child
My life as an adopted child wasn’t bad which isn’t always the case. In my family, I didn’t feel any different than any of the other kids. To me, my adoption was mostly a name change and the knowledge that I wasn’t going anywhere ever again. I was already calling both my parents by the title mom and dad by then. I think I knew in my heart when I got there, that I had found my place because my dad was dad from day one. I had never felt that connection in any of my other foster homes. I know my biological parents never dreamed that their child would be placed for adoption but everything happens for a reason.
In conclusion today I am 35 years old. I have a great relationship with both of my parents, and I am so grateful that I was given the chance to be somebody’s daughter. My parents continue to love and support me through everything. They are my best friends. I honestly cannot imagine my life without them. Adoption has changed my life in the most amazing ways, and I am so grateful for it every single day. If you are considering adopting, I encourage you to go for it! believe that every child deserves a family, my adoption story is just one example of how beautiful and special adoption can be. It is a life-changing experience for everyone involved, and it has the potential to create an incredible bond between parent and child.
Unapologetically,
K
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