Although Bryan was in our foster care for nearly two years before the judge signed adoption papers, our mother-son bond was instantaneous. As years have passed and we’ve tripped through toddler-hood, traipesed through elementary school, stumbled through the teenage years, and approached adulthood, our bond has tightened. This bond has showered me with emotional security, so when Bryan announced he was ready to search for his birth mother, I found myself ready to help him … with my whole heart.