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I just began searching for my birthson (born 5/3/1984 in Santa Rosa, CA) in earnest. I have written the following letter to his adoptive parents in the hopes that the adoption agency will forward it to them. If you got this letter as an a/parent, what would you think? I appreciate your insight. :)
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August 2, 2003
It is difficult to write a such a personal letter to people I have never met. I can't even greet you properly, as I dont know your names. What I do know, though, is that we have a common tie. You are the parents of a boy (now a man) I relinquished for adoption a little over 19 years ago.
First, I want to thank you for saving your son's life. I don't know how much of my story you know. I was considered a "good girl," and my pregnancy at 16 was a shock to everyone who knew me. It was even a shock to me, and I was in denial for most of it. Once I finally faced the fact that I was having a baby , for goodness sakes!, I knew right away that adoption was my only choice. Had that option not been available to me, I don't know where your child would be today.
Over the past nineteen years, I've thought of your son often. I marveled at how much he looked like me when I received the last picture through the adoption agency a little over 17 years ago. When I sent my own son to his first day of kindergarten, I thought of you and your son, and knew that you must have felt the same first-day jitters as I did at that moment. When country singer Michelle Wright came out with the song, "He Would Be Sixteen," I thought of your son. (And I hoped with all my might that he wasn't doing what I had been doing when I was 16!) When his 18th birthday rolled around, I knew that I could start searching, but I hesitated. Graduating from high school, heading for college҅he didn't need me to fall out of the sky during all that transitional upheaval. But I never stopped thinking about him.
A few weeks ago, after watching a news program about adoption reunions both good and bad, I decided that I would begin my search in earnest. I knew, though, that I would contact his parents first. While I gave birth to him, he will always be your son. Even knowing that you were honest with your son when it came to how he became a part of your family, I also know hearing from me probably terrifies you on a very primal and deep level. The adoption of a child is a wonderful and joyous occasion, but the road to adoption is often fraught with an incredible amount of pain and loss. I'm not here to open those wounds again; please know that I would never try to "take him back." He's not mine to take. You are his parents I am not. I have no fantasies of being "co-moms" or of becoming one big happy extended family. I do want to meet him, though. I want to see if he shares my freckles, and if he managed to dodge the gene that made me a complete idiot when it came to math. I want him to have the opportunity to meet his half-brother and his half-sister, and to have his questions about the rest of his gene pool answered. Most of all, I want to thank his parents for giving him the life that I couldn't.
In the hopes that the adoption agency won't consider it to be "identifying information" because it really doesn't identify me, my email address is rebelfanjenny@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jennelle Mihalovits
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Jenny, we haven't adopted yet but your letter touched me so deeply that I had to reply. If I recieved this letter I would welcome you with open arms. Every one of us at 16 did things that we shouldn't have. After you did you made a very wise and mature decision. I am sure your sons parents will be as touched as I was when they get this letter.
God bless you
Pat
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What a wonderful, heartfelt letter! If I were the adoptive mom, I would willingly contact you. You showed respect and love for these people you've never met while expressing your own needs so clearly. I pray that your letter will be received positively and you get the opportunity to meet and know the young man you gave life to.
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Agree with the others, your letter is beautifully written. As it's been three months since you posted it, have you sent it? Any progress with your search? The agency that handled my adoption has a "Post Adoption Services" department that acted as a confidential intermidiary and I am now exchanging letters with my bioDad. You might check and see if the agency you used has a similar department.
As your son was born in California, you also might contact thesearchguru. She has helped several people on the forum with their searches.
Best of Luck ~ hope to hear an update. :)
Jennelle,
I have tears in my eyes as I type this. I am an Amom and our daughters Bmom has chosen at this time not to have contact, we send pictures and letters. I would love to one get a letter just yours. You sound like a wonderful person and I would contact you right away.
Good luck, Michelle
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Jennelle,
Wow! What an awesome letter. As I sat and read the letter I could not help think of the birth mom to our kids. Although that letter was to somebody else, it really hit home.
When you speak of the fear they may feel, I think you are right on. It is scary. It is always in the back of my mind that just someday that may be us and what choices will our children make. You showed gratitude and respect, and was incredibly selfless then and now.
I hope that your child retained your "gene" of understanding and kindness, and you will have that meeting.
Good Luck!
Thank you all for the wonderful comments. :)
I did send the letter to the adoption agency about two months ago, but they returned it to me and told me I needed to take out the identifying information. I decided to hire a searcher, who found my b/son's parents. (While I sometimes have to use it to clear up confusion, I really don't like the term "a/parents." I am my son's biological mother, but not his parent. Parents are the people who raise you.) I mailed the letter to them about three weeks ago, and received a call from my son's dad on Sunday night. We spoke for about 15 minutes. He was kind and considerate; I'm so happy my son was raised by someone so gentle. :)
My son isn't ready to meet me yet. While he's known all along that he was adopted, the subject of me has never really been broached in-depth. Right now, he's having the whole "if she didn't want me then, why does she care now?" reaction - which is totally expected. He and his father will be talking more in-depth during his college breaks, and his father promised to call me back in January. (His father is all for a meeting.)
Once again, I appreciate all the comments. :)