About ten years ago I had my first encounter with a long term open adoption… It involved a relationship that had been building between a birth mother and her  birth son .. she had  placed him for adoption at birth.. the youth was 16 at the time I met him… he just had proudly acquired his drivers license. He and his family as well as his birth mother and her family were attending an Open Adoption Conference in Michigan..I was amazed at the ease with which this teen flowed back and forth  between his birth and adopted family.  He spoke lovingly of his adopted family and he was playful and loving towards his birth mother…. I watched in awe as he offered to take his birth mother for a drive with him at the wheel ….She accepted and they both left laughing and went off for a drive together..This scene will always stick in my mind as a testament to the fact that open adoption can work and can bring out the best in a child and provide peace and security for birth and adoptive families…This loving and natural interaction was between Brenda Romanchik and her birth son..I continue to be inspired by Brenda and her beautiful writings which give insight into the feelings of a birth parent..click on the link below to read more of  Brenda’s powerful words that chronicle her personal journey;

www.openadoptioninsight.org