Does anyone have happy stories to share about adoption or reunion?

Question

Open to everyone about any happy or silly story in relation to adoption (achild/aparent(s)/reunion with first mom or family). Don't want to leave anyone out... share anything happy or silly.

I'll start... Our oldest daughter is pretty much a rebel. In spring there are huge muddy puddles. As she starts jumping in the muddy puddle, I start thinking about the mess i'm going to have to clean up. The new clothes she has on are getting dirtier by the second. Then i see her face. Ohhh, is she having fun and soon her sisters join in. I was never allowed jump in puddles as a kid. I remember it sucked watching other kids having fun in puddles and i couldn't. So i jumped in too. Now every spring when the puddles are perfectly muddy we all jump in for our annual family mud fight! I love my little rebel!

Please share:)

Answer 1

Ha ha.  Love the mud fight story.  How fun!

I have what's probably the closest thing to the "fairy tale" reunion that one could want.  I will be referring to everyone in terms such as "father," "dad," "grandmother" etc. without any qualifiers such as "birth," "first" and the like.  The reason for this is that in real life I call all of my relatives, adopted or non-adopted, by terms that don't include qualifiers.  In our family, we are all comfortable with this, so I see no reason to do otherwise.

As I've discussed previously, my parents didn't relinquish me until I was 13 months old.  My father never did do well with having relinquished.  He searched with no luck over the years with the help of his wife, to whom he's now been married for a little over 30 years.  Aside from the usual roadblocks, he had no reason to believe that my first name would be changed.  However, when I was adopted at 2 years old, my first name did get changed.  So, he was looking for a girl named Laurie, but that wasn't my name at the time.  

Anyway, after 35 years of separation, I searched.  I located him in about 6 months.  I had an address, but no phone number.  My husband said, "Well, it's only a couple of hours' drive.  Let's just drive up in the morning."  The next morning, 23 September 2001, we did just that.

When we got there, my dad's wife answered the door.  I tried to speak, but that wasn't working out real well for me.  So, she kept asking who I was, since the only thing she got out of me was, "Is Russell home?"  My husband finally just came out with it and said, "This is Russell's daughter."  Well, at that point, Cordelia just pulled me toward her and put her arms around me.  

My dad wasn't home because he'd gone into work that day, which was very unusual for him on a Sunday.  She also couldn't get him on his cell.  So, the three of us, Cordelia, my husband and I, had time to start getting to know each other.  After about an hour, she was able to get my dad on the line.  She asked him to come home, but wouldn't tell him why.  Since he kept asking her what was going on, she decided to just stick me on the phone.

This was our conversation:

Me:  Dad, it's Laurie.  Please come home.

Dad:  Huh?  MY Laurie???

Me:  Yes.  Dad, I want you to come home.

Dad:  I'm on my way.

Me:  How long will you be.

Dad:  I'm about 45 minutes away.

Thirty minutes later, he shows up.  I think he broke a few speed laws.  He slowly walked into the room, and as I stood up to approach him, he burst into tears and repeated over and over, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

It was the longest hug ever, I think.  We just couldn't let each other go.  I assured him there was absolutely no reason for him to be sorry, and that now is all that mattered.  Cordelia said she was waiting for Oprah to show up, since it was a real Oprah moment.  I don't watch Oprah, but I understand what she means.

That day and the next, I got to meet a whole bunch of other relatives.  They all told me they were waiting for the day I'd be back.  My grandmother said her dream was to have all of her grandchildren together before she died.  On Jan. 2, 2007, she passed away having realized that dream.  I have aunts, uncles, cousins...it's pretty great.  I didn't have a sister growing up, so my cousin Shannon has become a lot like a sister to me.

Over the years, it's stayed great.  Everyone in the family talks about how much of a big change for the better they saw happen in my dad that day and how my return has made him so much happier.

A couple of things my dad has told me over these years have really stuck with me.  One, is that he felt he spent 35 years with a hole in his heart.  Another was when I asked him if he loved me as much as he would have if he's finished raising me.  Without hesitating, he looked at me and said, "Oh yes.  Maybe even more."

Anyway, this is my reunion story.  I enjoy telling it because it was 35 years in the making, and turned out happy for all of us.  It continues to be happy.

Answer 2

Oh, I've got some great ones with my children.  Will share a few.

My daughter is pretty strong-willed, but she's also very, very bright and her wit has us all laughing, more than once.  

She is very conscious about saving money.  I don't think I could fit another nickel in her bank if I tried!  Recently, we went to a Renissance Festival and the children brought some of their own money to buy something, if the wanted.  I asked my daughter if she saw anything she would like to spend her money on.   She told me that although there were lots of neat things, no, she didn't see anything that she wanted to spend her money on.  So then, I asked her if she saw anything she wanted to spend MY money on.  She grinned at me and said "Yeah.  Plenty."

She's saving for a convertable car, possibly a pink or yellow bug car convertable.  But whatever she buys, her younger brother can NOT have one like it!  

My younger son is 7 years old and quite gifted athletically.  Shortly after he came to America, I took him down to a basketball court in our neighborhood.  Bear in mind that he was about the size of a three year old, at this time.  He took the basketball and asked me if he was supposed to bounce it "Like this?" and proceeded to dribble the ball with either hand.  I said, "Sure.  Like that."  Then he asked me if he was supposed to "chuck" the ball into "that thing" (meaning the basket).  Then this little guy threw the ball up and into a full-sized basket.  I watched it go in and said, "Uhm, yeah.  Just like that.  Do that every time."

Just a couple tidbits.  The children are amazing and I could write a book about it all!

Answer 3

My biological children have an adopted father....  When our children were young they were very interested in learning more about their family history and they expressed some of the feelings that adopted people have when wondering about their history.

Just about 3 years ago and a good 12 years after I divorced their father he obtained his Original Birth Certificate and found his biological parents married to each other since before his birth.

My children have learned that they are nearly 1/2 Native American which has been a real-twist in the way they see themselves and has given them another set of very wonderful and supportive grandparents, as well as an aunt and cousin...

Answer 4

I was asked by a friend how my labor was!  My reply...longer than usual...about fourteen months!

My daughter (two) refused to sit on the Easter bunny's lap this week.  So as we were walking away, she waved good bye to him and shouted "Sorry, 'bout that Mr.  Bunny!"

Answer 5

i have two. when i finally met my bmother lori, we did all the normal hugging and staring. but as we were walking side by side she raised her hand for something, and there it was-MY HANDS. i literally grabbed her wrist and stared. of course she looked at me like i was on something, but when i stammered "those are MY hands" she just gave me a knowing smile.

i stick out like a sore thumb in my afamily, i dont look anything like any of them. to finally see something that mirrored me in someone else was shocking to me.

when i found my bfather, i had another resemblence smack in the face. i definitely look like him, but his mother-holy c**p. i know what i will look like when i am 82.

i have this odd kind of curly nose. when we met up with him and his family, she came out and my bmother looked back and forth between us. all she could say was-"hey, i found your nose"

i was on cloud nine. i have a whole new love for my face.

funny how something every other person in the world takes for granted can take the breath away from an adoptee.

Answer 6

My husband and I are very open about adoption with our seven year old. We have been discussing adopting other children with our daughter. We have explained that we have no idea what race the child will be.

One afternoon last Spring when dd just turned six my neighbors were outside with their baby boy and we were talking about the kids. Then my dd walked over to my neighbor. And then to my neighbors shock DD said to them  "I am going to be a big sister....cause mommy is gonna get a baby and daddy doesn't know what color it is!"

HAHAHAHAHA......out of the mouths of babes.

Oh and she loves us to tell her the adoption story.....she has heard it so many times she knows it by heart.....she will tell everybody and anybody. She has recently added to the end of the story  TO BE CONTINUED.....because as she states and I quote  "My story is still being written."

She is an exceptional child with an old soul so wise beyond her years. She will make a difference and the World is a better place because of her!

Answer 7

I sat on the Judge's lap during the adoption finalization and pee'd on his lap

Well, I thought it was funny

Answer 8

When my son was little (18 months-3 years)  he refused to eat peanut butter, unless it was on toast.  We're talking screaming kicking fits here, not just refusing to eat it .  I mentioned it to his birthmom one day while we were on the phone, and she about fell off her chair laughing.  It turns out that that was all she could tolerate while she was pregnant, and be sure it stayed down.

Other, really weird, coincidences:  When we visited my birthmom for the first time, we discovered the street she was living on (and had been for 20+ years) was the first name my adoptive parents had given me!   I was looking on a map the other day, and discovered the formal name of the lake my parents lived on when  I met my husband was the name we eventually gave our son! (I never knew the name of that lake while we lived there)

Answer 9

my mom was young when she had twins..... she went to my aunt and told her that she cannot care for them (mom was no really in a situation where she could care for the twins). well my mom has always been in touch with my aunt to see how they were.... Then when i was 16 i got an unexpected letter from one of them... I knew about them but never really paid much mind since i did not know them.... i was 1 week from due date with daughter when they came down with their families and we met for the first time. It was amazing seeing them look like me and my other siblings. From that day on we have been so close... now we go to family reunions every year.... The only sad part on this whole thing is that one of my half sisters passed away Sept. 11, 2005 from lymphoma... I wish i could have spent more time with her and shown her more how much i love and cared for her.... I know she knew but I wanted to be there more for her....

Answer 10

i would share but people will just slam any good story anyway so why bother?

Answer 11

My first visit to my first mom was just a few weeks ago.  I had met her, face-to-face, once before (during my adult life).  She had driven up with one of her sons.  That was the only one of my brothers I had met before my visit to see her earlier this month.  The brother, Chris, I had met on that first first visit has a goatee.  (As do I.)

So on the visit earlier this month my wife and I were walking through the airport, I saw my mom standing there next to another one of my brothers (who also sports a goatee).  My wife said "Hi, Chris," to him.  He laughed and told her he wasn't Chris.  I spent a good chunk of the next couple of days joking with her that she thinks all men with goatees look alike.  

After they took us to the hotel, my wife went to bed (we had a long flight in), and the three of us sat around the hotel lobby talking and telling stories.  And as I sat there, listening to my youngest brother and my mom tell stories, I realized they tell stories the same way I tell stories.  And they get progressively louder as they tell them, the same way I do.  The clerk at the desk sat there, watching TV, but laughing at us periodically.

The next morning, I told my wife, "They're loud the same way I'm loud!"  And she smiled and said she noticed that.

Answer 12

My friend, Ron, went to pick up his daughter at the airport yesterday.  They haven't seen each other in 14 years after my friend was forced to give her up for adoption to her step father.  She just found her dad a couple weeks ago.  I get to meet her tomorrow!  YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

ETA:  HAHA!!  That thumbs down thing is funny.  Anyway, I just wanted to throw an update out there.  We had a BBQ last night, and everyone got to meet her.  She fits right in, and she's SO excited to be with her family!  She already took a look at the place she'll be going to school when she moves out here in July, and she loves it.  She fell asleep in her dad's lap twice...making up for lost time already!  There were many tears.  YIPPEEEEEE!!!