Wrap-up, Adoption Stories Project 2021

It’s all about joining together and working to understand each other.

(image source: pixabay)

National Adoption Month 2021 is ending, and so is the Adoption Stories Project—for now. I’d love to feature more adoption stories, so If you are touched by adoption and wish to share your story, please contact me via email through my website (andrearosswriter.com).

As I mentioned in my introductory post, it was fascinating to interview people touched by adoption. Hearing their stories sometimes challenged my beliefs about adoption, other times I saw myself reflected in their stories.

Moreover, I heard from many of you readers, some who are all too familiar with the shortcomings of the institution of adoption, some entirely new to the idea that adoption causes trauma, even in the happiest of cases. I was heartened by your responses—of empathy, sympathy, shock, sadness, and surprise—because they showed me you are listening.

And listening to each other is how we start to understand each other, how we formulate solutions, how we begin to heal.

Many adopted people and birth parents find it terrifying to speak our truth. We feel we’ll risk everything if we shine a light on the secrecy and shame that shrouds our experiences with adoption. But focusing such a beam on secrets, shame, stigma, and loss diminishes their power. Even better when someone is there to listen. We all need to be heard, seen, and acknowledged in order to feel whole.