LibraryScenariosHow adoption makes parental identity feel fragile and contested
Scenario

How adoption makes parental identity feel fragile and contested

I adopted my son when he was three and now at sixteen he wants to find his birth parents and I feel like I am losing my claim to being his real mother.

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More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

The unique vulnerabilities of adoptive parenting can make identity as a parent feel conditional and threatened by biological connections.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Parenting and identity — who are you beyond parent??”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.