Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Roller Coasters and Tug of War
The roller coaster of emotions are back. On top of that, I feel like I am the rope in a fierce game of tug-of-war. Mom vs dad....AP's vs BP's...guilt vs desire...it's constant. I have not contacted my dad, yet. I have been messaging back and forth with my 15 year old brother. He is super sweet, funny, and extremely curious. A lot has unfolded and I have a lot of updating to do. But for now, I'm going to wait until I talk to my counselor and sort through some of my feelings before I post the latest details. I'm not sure what I think about all of it..or I haven't got to a point where I can verbalize what I'm thinking. It's differnet this time around because I kind of have a clue, but it is still scary. The neverending list of questions are there...What do I do? Where is this new door going to lead me? In the process of potentially pursuing a relationship with my dad and his family, will it ruin the relationship that I have with my mom? I haven't (and probably won't for a while) mentioned any of this to my AP's...I can only imagine what that will be like? Questions that bring up more questions that lead to other questions are constantly running through my mind. I've said on here so many times that I've never had a desire to know my dad or force a relationship. I was OK with the way things were. But, now that the opportunity is here, my feelings about it are beginning to change. I'm just hoping I make decisions because of desire and not because of guilt. I'm hoping that I deal with things in a healthy way. ::Sigh:: Roller coasters and tug-of-war -- will life ever be the same again?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Blindsided
You know, the craziest things happen when you're not looking for them. At least for me. Finding my husband, getting pregnant with twins, losing my twins, finding out I was pregnant with my 3rd, and , of course, my reunion with my mom totally blindsided me. Those are the first situations that popped in my head that were completely unexpected. I wasn't looking or expecting any of those things to happen, but they did. Some of those situations were for the better and some of them I'm still trying to figure out "why". Regardless, they all came when I least expected it.
Well...as you have probably guessed by now...I have been blindsided once again.
As I was getting ready to leave for school yesterday morning, I noticed that I had an email notifying me of a message someone left for me on facebook. So, I clicked on it just to see who it was. I didn't recognize the name so I started reading the message:
I am helping a friend search for their daughter...we believe you are her call me @ ***-***-****. His name is (first name) (last name), he is your dad
My first thought, being as naive as I can sometimes, was "Oh, someone must be randomly searching for a family member and came across my name." However, when I got to the last line and saw his first and last name, I thought I was going to pass out. It was insane. According to my mom, he's known that she's been in contact with me for 9 years. Why is he trying to find me now? He knows how to get in touch with her. Why isn't he just calling her? Who in the world is this "friend" that's trying to help him? The questions just kept coming.
I sent my mom a text and asked her if she knew the friend by name. She, of course, didn't. I told her the rest of the situation and she said she knew nothing about it and she'd call me after work and we could figure it all out. So I went to school and went on with my normal routine. I thought about the situation off and on all day and wondered what I should do.
I've mentioned before that I don't know how I feel about meeting my dad. It has been so emotionally draining trying to figure out my relationship with my mom that I honestly don;t know if I can pursue another relationship right now. Plus, this one was easy because it was his friend, not him. I thought if he wanted to talk to me, find me, whatever, he could do it himself. It may sound kind of bratty but, unfortunately, my heart is a bit guarded right now. I don't want to be hurt.
When I got home from school, I got on facebook to see if this friend of his had any pictures or other info on her page. She didn't. All it showed was where she lived and that she was a 'she'. No profile pic or anything. I started talking to my husband about it when I noticed another message had popped up. I clicked on it and I read:
I was wondering if you are my sister. (My first, maiden and last names). Daughter of (my mom's first and last name). I was wondering if you know your birth dads name?
I just about died! What on earth is happening? My dad is supposedly looking for me and then my half brother sends me a message the same day looking for me. I could handle the "friend of my dad" situation because it wasn't him, just a friend. But my brother? I don't want to leave him hanging. He has a picture of him with what looks like a girlfriend or something as his profile pic. No other information. I text my mom and she called and told me that he was my dad's middle son with his current wife. He's in high school.
So, like I said...the craziest things happen when you're not looking for them. I haven't messaged anybody back. It just happened yesterday and I'm trying to process it all. What do I want? What should I do? What will I regret if I don't? You know...all the good questions that roll through your mind. I think I might respond to the friend and give her my e-mail and tell her he can contact me that way. i don;t want to call and talk to a complete stranger. As far as my brother's message,I want to respond just to say I got it and yes, I know my birth dad's name. I'm not sure what he wants or is expecting. He's young and obviously has no idea what he's getting himself into. But, really, who does? I know I don't!
Well...as you have probably guessed by now...I have been blindsided once again.
As I was getting ready to leave for school yesterday morning, I noticed that I had an email notifying me of a message someone left for me on facebook. So, I clicked on it just to see who it was. I didn't recognize the name so I started reading the message:
I am helping a friend search for their daughter...we believe you are her call me @ ***-***-****. His name is (first name) (last name), he is your dad
My first thought, being as naive as I can sometimes, was "Oh, someone must be randomly searching for a family member and came across my name." However, when I got to the last line and saw his first and last name, I thought I was going to pass out. It was insane. According to my mom, he's known that she's been in contact with me for 9 years. Why is he trying to find me now? He knows how to get in touch with her. Why isn't he just calling her? Who in the world is this "friend" that's trying to help him? The questions just kept coming.
I sent my mom a text and asked her if she knew the friend by name. She, of course, didn't. I told her the rest of the situation and she said she knew nothing about it and she'd call me after work and we could figure it all out. So I went to school and went on with my normal routine. I thought about the situation off and on all day and wondered what I should do.
I've mentioned before that I don't know how I feel about meeting my dad. It has been so emotionally draining trying to figure out my relationship with my mom that I honestly don;t know if I can pursue another relationship right now. Plus, this one was easy because it was his friend, not him. I thought if he wanted to talk to me, find me, whatever, he could do it himself. It may sound kind of bratty but, unfortunately, my heart is a bit guarded right now. I don't want to be hurt.
When I got home from school, I got on facebook to see if this friend of his had any pictures or other info on her page. She didn't. All it showed was where she lived and that she was a 'she'. No profile pic or anything. I started talking to my husband about it when I noticed another message had popped up. I clicked on it and I read:
I was wondering if you are my sister. (My first, maiden and last names). Daughter of (my mom's first and last name). I was wondering if you know your birth dads name?
I just about died! What on earth is happening? My dad is supposedly looking for me and then my half brother sends me a message the same day looking for me. I could handle the "friend of my dad" situation because it wasn't him, just a friend. But my brother? I don't want to leave him hanging. He has a picture of him with what looks like a girlfriend or something as his profile pic. No other information. I text my mom and she called and told me that he was my dad's middle son with his current wife. He's in high school.
So, like I said...the craziest things happen when you're not looking for them. I haven't messaged anybody back. It just happened yesterday and I'm trying to process it all. What do I want? What should I do? What will I regret if I don't? You know...all the good questions that roll through your mind. I think I might respond to the friend and give her my e-mail and tell her he can contact me that way. i don;t want to call and talk to a complete stranger. As far as my brother's message,I want to respond just to say I got it and yes, I know my birth dad's name. I'm not sure what he wants or is expecting. He's young and obviously has no idea what he's getting himself into. But, really, who does? I know I don't!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
M.I.A.
I know I've been M.I.A. for a while. I've been trying to figure out where I am in all this. I've been doing a good job masking things for a while and I'm afraid to open up and let the flood gates in. You know, blogging kind of has a way of doing that! I was going through and reading past entries and came across the "Ask Me Anything" post. I realized I never finished answering questions so I thought I would finish that up, so....
If you could change anything that you have done with regard to reunion, what would it be and why?
I wish I would have talked to a counselor from the very beginning of our reunion. I went into it completely blindsighted...we both did. I don't think anything can prepare you for the reunion rollercoaster, but I do know once I started talking to a counselor (4 years into my reunion), it helped tremendously!
Do you mind being called an "Adoptee"? Have you ever had any thoughts about it?
I've never thought about this one before. I guess I would have to answer with a yes and no. No, I do not mind being called an adoptee because that is, in fact, what I am. However, I do mind at times being called an adoptee because, in the adoption triad, you have the least amount of say about anything pertaining to you. It is beyond frustrating in that regard. But for the most part, an adoptee is what I am, so I have to be ok with it.
When it comes to talking about adoption with your birthmom...did she initiate the talking about the deep stuff or you?
In our first reunion, it was always me that initiated everything.
If you did, would you have preferred that she did instead? YES!! I totally wished she would have some. It made me feel like I was always "bugging" her or dredging up the past that she, clearly, wasn't overly willing to talk about.
What did you want to know most from her?
I mostly wanted to know why she gave me up and if she regretted it. I really wanted to know if she truly loved me and cared about me or if I was just a distant memory once she gave me away.
Is/was there monetary differences / social class differences between your first family and second family? YES, on both accounts.
What if any affect did that have on your comfort level? Was it awkward or important? Does it matter to me that we have some social and monetary differences? Absolutely not. Once I dove into this whole reunion with my mom, all I ever wanted was to be loved by her. I do not care about receiving fancy, expensive gifts or if she drives a nice car or lives in a huge house. None of that matters to me. I love her a lot and I just want to be loved by her.
The above question reinforces one of my biggest frustrations about adoption. In so many instances mom's feel they need to give their child up so they can have a better life...earthly treasures, more or less. Children do not care about those things. If they know they are loved and feel loved, none of the other stuff matters. In my opinion, your time and attention means more than any monetary thing you can buy. All I ever wanted was her love. Nothing else mattered. Honestly and truly. Sometimes, being an adult adoptee leaves you feeling like a grown child...trying to claw your way back into a family that discarded you. Not a fun feeling! That's a whole 'nother issue though! I guess I'll have to save that one for another post!
If you could change anything that you have done with regard to reunion, what would it be and why?
I wish I would have talked to a counselor from the very beginning of our reunion. I went into it completely blindsighted...we both did. I don't think anything can prepare you for the reunion rollercoaster, but I do know once I started talking to a counselor (4 years into my reunion), it helped tremendously!
Do you mind being called an "Adoptee"? Have you ever had any thoughts about it?
I've never thought about this one before. I guess I would have to answer with a yes and no. No, I do not mind being called an adoptee because that is, in fact, what I am. However, I do mind at times being called an adoptee because, in the adoption triad, you have the least amount of say about anything pertaining to you. It is beyond frustrating in that regard. But for the most part, an adoptee is what I am, so I have to be ok with it.
When it comes to talking about adoption with your birthmom...did she initiate the talking about the deep stuff or you?
In our first reunion, it was always me that initiated everything.
If you did, would you have preferred that she did instead? YES!! I totally wished she would have some. It made me feel like I was always "bugging" her or dredging up the past that she, clearly, wasn't overly willing to talk about.
What did you want to know most from her?
I mostly wanted to know why she gave me up and if she regretted it. I really wanted to know if she truly loved me and cared about me or if I was just a distant memory once she gave me away.
Is/was there monetary differences / social class differences between your first family and second family? YES, on both accounts.
What if any affect did that have on your comfort level? Was it awkward or important? Does it matter to me that we have some social and monetary differences? Absolutely not. Once I dove into this whole reunion with my mom, all I ever wanted was to be loved by her. I do not care about receiving fancy, expensive gifts or if she drives a nice car or lives in a huge house. None of that matters to me. I love her a lot and I just want to be loved by her.
The above question reinforces one of my biggest frustrations about adoption. In so many instances mom's feel they need to give their child up so they can have a better life...earthly treasures, more or less. Children do not care about those things. If they know they are loved and feel loved, none of the other stuff matters. In my opinion, your time and attention means more than any monetary thing you can buy. All I ever wanted was her love. Nothing else mattered. Honestly and truly. Sometimes, being an adult adoptee leaves you feeling like a grown child...trying to claw your way back into a family that discarded you. Not a fun feeling! That's a whole 'nother issue though! I guess I'll have to save that one for another post!
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