Short Story: I'm Adopted?

If someone were to ever tell my younger self that I would one day be one of five siblings, I would have never believed them. Unquestionably, my siblings are an enormous part of who I am; aspiring me to become an intelligent and an affectionate human being. Life doesn't always hurl obstacles in your way, but when it does, it can turn out to be completely disparate and even fascinating from the original thought. At the ripe old age of eleven years old, I was expected to step up to the plate and take care of my new adopted siblings, David and Alysa. Countless responsibilities, circumstances, and a world of authority and gratitude have shaped me along the way due to that one event. Indeed, I am grateful that my parents went through with the adoption because even though I had an impact on my adopted siblings, they have propelled me to become an exceptional brother, son, friend, and student.

“I’m not so sure either. I’ve been thinking and what I don’t understand is why mom and dad did not tell us anything before. We went through horrible times! They had more than enough

In 1966, American Family adopted Deann Borshay Liem from an orphanage in Korea. She struggled to become more like her adoptive family. The memory of her family was nearly erased; until, she recurred her past, and decided to investigate it. After long times, she discovered that her Korean mother was still alive. She thought that it is so hard to tell adoptive mother about a real mother.

How does it feel to be adopted? Has life been altered as a result of being adopted? These questions have never fazed my view of being adopted. Awareness of being adopted began as far back as I can recall and has never been a taboo family topic. Adoption didn’t affect my life in any sort of way as a child. As I matured, the realization of the impact being adopted has had on my life has evolved. This insight created a new level of gratitude for my family and my life.

Ann Fessler tells about her personal experiences with adoption during the 1950s and 60s in the beginning of the book. The author writes about herself being adopted and dealing with the difficult reality of finding her birth mother. Within the first couple of pages, Fessler says, “My adoptive mother and father were offered very little information about my biological parents.”(2) and “...after forty years of life as an adoptee I was hearing the other side of the story for the first time.”(3). Fessler explaining her past and her personal experience with adoption is one of her examples that give her ethos. Fessler was never given the chance to meet her birth mother which shows again how the lack of control caused these women's situations to worsen. After having the credibility to tell these girls’ stories, Fessler continued to bring the issue to light.

“I’m adopted,” I say loud and clear for the whole class to hear. Everyone’s heads begin to shift towards me. “I’m adopted. End of story. I have no heritage. That’s my

“What story would you like to hear today, Chloe” asked Grandma Chica as Chloe walked into the house.

“Then how do you explain all the things that still happen to them now?” Savannah then asked me now sounding implacable.

In the book In Search of April Raintree, April is the protagonist, she is the player the primary personal figure of the book. Her personality and characteristics portray many First Nations women in the 1960’s: “Woman have a wonderful instinct about things. They can discover everything except the obvious (Oscar Wilde). Throughout the book April changes drastically from A naïve child to an insecure teenager and finally to a mature young woman who is still not willing to accept her very own heritage and culture: “She is disavowing the part of her that might be since Native, a disavowal also reflected in her fear of being a mother of “brown-skinned babies” (p.117 and p.211).

“Stop,” said Jen as she shook her head back and forth. “You’re my best friend, and I don’t want to mess that up.”

Mark comes home one day to see both of his parents sitting at the table staring at him. A sense of suspicion creeps into his mind. His dad sternly requests Mark to sit down. At that moment, Mark’s parents inform him that he is adopted. As Mark recollects the event in his mind years later, that was the point where his life changed forever. Children around the world experience the life changing event and nothing prepared them for it, but it can be avoided through open adoption. The subject of adoption continues to be a problematic topic, but for the betterment of the people involved, open adoption brings the child a sense of wholeness, more information on the child’s background, and lessens the grief of the birth mother.

“Oh, Sunflower,” Mister Leslie reached out his hands to help her study the box as she started down the hallway to her apartment. “Lemme help you with that.”

“Oh,” Grant muttered, mostly to himself, “well that’s good, I guess. Thanks, Auntie.” Grant shuffled over to the dining room to help finish setting the table with the other women. He didn’t look back.

In my life I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. I’ve been adopted three times, my father past away when I was nine, and my mom just gave up. My mom and dad weren’t the best of parents. But I still loved them. When I was three a lady named Nicole adopted me and my sister Brittany . By the age of five her best friend Charity adopted me. That is when me and my two sisters were all split up for good. My sister Ashley was adopted by my uncle Gary down in Georgia and Brittany stayed with Nicole.

There are common ordeals and situations that can trouble a family emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Adoption is one situation a family must encounter when a child is born without a proper system of support to sustain life after birth. The causes for a family to make a heartfelt decision to place a child for adoption can have dramatic effects on the birth parents, adoptive parents, and child (Adoptee), even if the decision is meant for the best.