Adoption is a concept that most of us only really see in movies or other fiction. And while it might be distant, in a sense an almost-fictional notion, for many people around the world, it is a difficult reality. According to Adoption Network, 1 in 25 US families with children have adopted a child, resulting in 7 million Americans being adopted. And while only 2% of Americans have adopted kids, a stunning one-third have considered it.
There are many different aspects to adoption, starting from why a family would seek to adopt a child to why a parent would give up their kid. The adoption process is long and arduous and takes up more than 3 years, so most families involved have good reasons to do so.
One Imgur user that goes by the name of nerdychick78912 recently shared her own story along with screenshots of text messages with her biological daughter. The chat showed her excitement over making plans to meet her biological daughter and asking if she could have some one-on-one time so she could fully dedicate her whole attention, to which the daughter agrees.
Woman shared her excitement over finally getting to meet her biological daughter for the first time in 18 years
According to the woman, she had an open adoption 18 years ago when she had to make the hardest decision of her life and give up her own child. ” At that point in my life, it was the right thing to do,” she explained. The woman also adds that at the time, she could not provide her child “the life she deserved and the life [she] wanted her to have”. Which led her to choose 2 trustworthy people that could take care of the kid.
Bored Panda has reached out to the author of the story for additional details. The woman replied and provided some background to the adoption:
“I got pregnant at 18yrs old. The day I was supposed to meet the father (whom I dated for 6 months) to discuss what we were going to do he never showed. That was the last time I ever spoke to him. After a lot of soul searching I decided to go with adoption. The state where I lived only did closed adoptions and I couldn’t bare the thought of not knowing where she was or how she was doing. So with the help of my mother we found an adoption attorney in California. He sent me several family bios but there was only one I was interested in. Next thing I know I’m flying to Los Angeles to meet them and see where my daughter would be growing up.”
Image credits: Toshimasa Ishibashi (not the actual photo)
The mother continued to describe her journey, detailing her trip to California:
“The trip couldn’t have gone any better. At 12 weeks pregnant I decided to give my child to the wonderful people I met. I knew she would have everything she could ever want and need and I knew they would give her a better life than I ever could. At 35 weeks I moved to Los Angeles to have her. The adoptive parents [were] so supportive and were at my side when she was born. After she was born I held her and fed her and told her I loved her many times before I left the hospital to get on a plane to go home. Before I got on the plane I met with a social worker to sign away the right to change my mind within 72 hours. The family I chose went through hell because the birth mom they had before me changed her mind after the birth and they were absolutely heartbroken. I didn’t want them to worry because I truly loved them.”
She also explained the circumstances of the adoption in a brief statement
The author also added that the adoptive parents would send her pictures and letters and that she would send her daughter birthday presents in return. “She was told she was adopted early on so she knew who the presents came from,” the woman said.
“5 years ago my daughter called me for the first time and said she was ready for a relationship,” she added. Ever since, the two have been keeping a regular phone contact which culminated in the message she shared above. Turns out, the daughter chose a college just a 5-hour drive away which allowed her a perfect opportunity to reconnect not only with her biological mother, but with her sister as well. “I have a younger daughter and they both are excited to be a part of each other’s lives but the first time I wanted it to be just me,” the mother explained.
The mother also added that she tried reaching out to the biological father several years back not only for personal closure, but to provide the same for her child. “Let’s just say he didn’t change nor did he want anything to do with her because he already had another family,” the woman wrapped that end of the story up.
“In just a little over a week, I will hold my daughter in my arms for the first time in 18 years and my little family will finally be complete,” the woman couldn’t contain her excitement in an emotional statement. “I wish every soul on this planet could experience this kind of high. It’s beautiful,” she concluded.
Here’s how people on the internet responded to the story
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