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Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories
Two adult adoptees, Sarah Reinhardt and Louise Browne, delve into all things adoption - from their perspectives as adult adoptees.
Each season Sarah and Louise recap a chapter from a book centered on adoption and then interview a guest. Sarah and Louise come out of the 'fog' in real-time through Seasons One and Two and are advocating for change in the adoption industry. They want to give voice to all adoptees. Adoptee stories are needed to reframe the narrative around adoption.
Sarah and Louise, two former business partners who had a successful ice cream truck in Los Angeles, team up again - this time in frank and honest conversations about all things adoption from the adoptee perspective. Both were adopted shortly after birth, but they had very different experiences.
These will be intimate conversations, but also fun - because Sarah and Louise know how to lighten things up and have a good time. They also have an uncanny ability to get to the heart of a subject with anyone who crosses their path - so conversations will take many turns.
Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories
Cary: Coming to Terms with the Complexities of Adoption
Cary is a baby scoop-era adoptee who was born in a Florence Crittenton Home in Atlantic City NJ in 1964. Her first mother was 19 years old and was forced to relinquish her baby like many young mothers of those times. Cary had a great upbringing in a family that loved her and never made her feel othered. In her early 30s she reunited with her birth mother and then her birth father. The reunions went well for the most part, but some family members that started out enthusiastic soon became clearly uninterested in staying connected.
Even in the best situations, adoption is incredibly complex. In recent years after the death of her older, adopted, sister, Cary has been better understanding just how complex it can be. Her relationship with her sister was great—as long as she was a child. It became more complicated and difficult as adult years went by. Losing her sister, and therefore her best connection to the parents who raised her and whom she loved dearly, has brought up a lot of adoption-related issues that she hadn't really tuned into before.
What she would like people to understand most is that an adoptee can be both happy with who they grew up with, how they were raised, and the life they’ve had, while also feeling sad and having complicated feelings about the loss they started life with, and the impact adoption has had on them.
To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 13:01
Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen Sisson
RESOURCES for Adoptees
S12F Helping Adoptees
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
Hiraeth Hope & Healing
Moses Farrow
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at info@nami.org
Adoptee Therapist Directory
If you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.
Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is 6/1 @ 1pm ET.
Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara and Sandra.
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