by J J kearns

Created on: March 10, 2009

It is estimated that six million Americans are adoptees. That means one out of every eight Americans have been directly touched by adoption. Many of these people, will at some point in their lives, want to find their birth parents. The reasons for finding ones birth parents vary, including, medical knowledge, or a major life event such as the death of their adoptive parent. But, the most common reason is the desire to find out what their birth parent looks like, their talents and their personality. Whatever the reason, looking for a birth parent can be very difficult. It can be a very emotional adventure with amazing highs and frustrating lows. But, if you are ready to on this journey, there are a few steps you can take to make your search go a bit easier.

When I began my search , ten years ago, I first had to find out my birth mother's identity. A good way to start this is begin with what you know. Take some time to write down everything you know about your birth and your adoption. From the name of the hospital you were born in, to the adoption agency that handled your case.

Once you have all that the best place to turn to next is your adoptive parents. If they are willing to help you on your search they can be the ones that hold the most possible clues. Write down any information they can give you, even if it seems insignificant. The smallest details sometimes lead to the biggest break through

Next, contact the adoption agency. They can give you non-identifying information. This may include the medical history, health status, height, weight, eye color, ethnic origins and level of education of your birth parents.

Now that you have all the information you can collect you should register in a state and national reunion registry. These are also known as Mutual Consent Registries. These are created with the hopes of both parties registering and thus being reunited.

I did not have to register with one of these registries. While collecting my information I was able to find out my birth mothers name age and place of birth. Armed with that information I began to use the Internet to search for her. After a few weeks I was able to track her down and we were eventually reunited.

I do have one quick word of caution about reuniting with your birth parents. Everyone one goes into this wanting something or expecting something. You have to be prepared to except that you may never get those answers you are searching for. Just remember to go into this with your eyes open. Reuniting with you parent is a very emotional thing. You need to be prepared for everything, the good and the bad.

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