The Best Articles and Resources for Adult Adoptees

For an adult adoptee, finding honest stories that validate your experiences can be incredibly valuable.  Thankfully, the support available to adopt adoptees is vast, and you never know when or where you’ll find a connection to another adoptee. If you’re ready for heartwarming stories and compassionate support and understanding, here are the best articles and resources for adult adoptees.

Search and Reunion Resources

Fortunately, adoptees today are growing up in the era of open adoption and already know who their birth parents are, and they’re just a phone call away! But not every adoptee is so lucky, and many of them are still longing for birth family relationships. The impact of adoption varies for each adoptee, and you might not be sure about what to expect when you initially prepare for a search and reunion. You might have to ask yourself, “Am I truly ready to meet my birth parents?” While you’re thinking of the best way to prepare for an adoption search and reunion, there is plenty of support and resources when you’re ready. Remember, you’re never alone as a member of the adoption community, and your adoptee rights are valid.

Adoptee Stories and Testimonials

What better place to learn about adoption than from adoptees themselves? Adult adoptees continue to share their personal stories both on and outside of blogging platforms. Many of them are writing to spread awareness about adoption and what a powerful impact it has had in their life. These stories are also great for adoptive families and women considering adoption who want to know what growing up as an adoptee is really like. Here are just some of our favorite adoptee stories and testimonials:

• A Life of Love and Opportunity — Scott’s Story
• Jennifer’s Story
• Becoming an Adoption Advocate: Artreese’s Adoptee Story
• How One Adoptee is Using her Miss Texas Platform for Adoption
• How This Adoptee Found Her Birth Parents — and a New System of Support

Relatable Adoptee Articles

Every adoption situation is different, but there some unifying experiences among adult adoptees. There some, often downright rude and outlandish, questions that people think you’re obligated to answer just because you’re the closest person to them who’s actually been adopted. Seriously, who thinks of some of these questions and then actually says them out loud? If you’re looking for some articles from adoptee and adoptive family authors who need to vent as much as you do, here are some great stories.

• 9 Things Guaranteed to Make an Adoptee Roll Their Eyes
• An Adoptee’s Perspective on Anger in Adoption
• We’re a Real Family, Thank You Very Much

Support Groups

Adoptee support groups are especially important for adults who were raised in an environment with little to no information about their biological family. Joining a support group filled with compassion and empathy from other adults struggling to reconnect with their past and hoping to forge new connections with an understanding community can often be beneficial.  You can look for a therapeutic support groups based on your type of adoption, in addition to online support groups — although the internet attracts a lot of negative users, so you might have to approach these cautiously.

Other than support groups, you might also think about contacting a counseling center near you or a professional therapist. Both should have experience with adoption and the impact of adoption on adoptees. If you’re having trouble finding a good support group in your area, your adoption therapist can help refer you to local adoptees looking to make a new connection.

Blogs and Websites

Adoptee blogs and websites give adult adoptees the opportunity to share their personal and moving stories with the world, allowing us a glimpse into their unique experiences and perspectives of the adoption journey. Writing is an avenue that allows adult adoptees to speak their truth and to share every detail about their adoption story, even the ones that aren’t so glamourous. Some of the these stories include navigating the journey of becoming adoptive parents themselves, life as an international adoptee, and even feelings of anger and loss as an adoptee. Each one of these stories is captivating from beginning to end, and challenges our perception of what it’s like to live life as an adoptee. There are many adoptee stories to explore that will keep you up for hours; here are just a few of our recommendations:

• The Adoptee Factor
• The Adopted Life
• Through the Eyes of an Adopted Kid
• The Declassified Adoptee

If you ever need help finding additional resources or other ways to connect with adult adoptees, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Every member of the adoption triad deserves to feel supported and encouraged in all endeavors even after the adoption is finalized. If you feel a connection to any of these stories and you need someone to speak to, we would be more than happy to connect you with more resources.