From time to time I delve into the mystery that is my birth. My parents have always been very open about everything they know about my adoption and biological family, but there are a lot of holes. Over the past several years, I’ve tried internet searches, posting my photo with the information I do know in groups for adopted people, and even did the Ancestry.com DNA test thinking I may find someone related biologically to me who may know my story.
And then I go dormant for a few years. The older I get, the less of a need I have to know about health and heredity, but as an adopted person there is still this huge hole in my life. I’ve always explained it as knowing that the people who are supposed to want you and take care of you failed for whatever reason. This is my unique view as I know enough of my pre-adoption story to know that I was totally not wanted.
Recently, TLC has been advertising their new show about finding long lost family, and it got my mind back on the subject. So, I did a quick search and learned that, as of March 2015, adoption records in Ohio for people born between 1964 and 1996 are open to the adoptee or their descendents. All I need to do is fill out a form, send a copy of my license and SS card, and $20, and in a month I should receive a copy of the file the state has on hand.
The gamble is, the state doesn’t keep a whole hell of a lot of records. From their website:
*An adoption file usually contains the original birth certificate and a court order decree of the adoption. It may also include biological parent release forms and/or biological sibling release forms that were submitted to ODH before March 20, 2014 and some of the contents located in the “Birth Parent Information Packet”. The biological parent and/or sibling release forms and birth parent information packet are not required before the adoption file can be released. *
The release forms/biological packets are basically forms filled out by the biological family of if/how they want to be contacted and any other information they want to voluntarily release. So, in my case, I can assume that I will get my original birth certificate with my biological parents’ names and the court papers from when my real parents (let’s be honest here, the people who adopted me actually wanted me) finalized my adoption. If I’m lucky, there may be some sibling information, and maybe the answer as to who in the family took care of me as a foster before I was adopted.
At this point in my life, I don’t think finding my biological parents would really matter. If I have their names, I can search records and learn about them, which really is the entire point of this endeavor. I’m not sure how my biological siblings may feel. I have very little information other than there were 7 or 8 older siblings, and my biological mother pulled me across the hospital bed by my hair at 2 days old (getting CPS involved). So, my birth is basically the catalyst of either something great or something horrible for my siblings.
I’ve been sitting on this one overnight. I’ve yet to talk to T about it, let alone mom. I’m going to need his support on this, and since mom’s always been very open about wanting to help me, I want her to know as well. I have the form saved on my computer. I’m not sure if I want to pull that trigger or not. I’m going on 35 years old, so it’s not like my destiny is going to change.
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