ViAnn & partner

Having raised children who are adopted has given me a belief in allowing adoption stories to mature. What we think we know about adoption when children are tiny is not what we will feel about adoption when these same children turn 30 and discuss how they feel about their adoptive family and their adoption. I am very careful about the stories we tell. No child should have details of their story presented to the world and then later regret that this particular information is available to others. No birth mother should have dignity striped from her because she has made the hardest decision in the world. Stories should be real, but they also be presented with compassion, love and dignity. Never should a story infringe on an individual’s privacy. Over the years, I have taught young teens who were adopted. I have heard their stories and how they feel as high schoolers. I have also taught girls who are unexpectedly pregnant and struggling to decide what should be done with their life and the life of the child. All these situations are unique. I have learned from all of them.