For all members of the adoption constellation, Mother’s Day, as with motherhood itself, can bring up a host of complicated emotions, from grief, shame, and doubt, to gratitude and joy. For adoptees and birthmothers especially, raising biological children of our own presents its own unique challenges and gifts. Join us today for this special Mother’s Day episode as we talk with members of the Faith Collective for Truth and Healing in Adoption, adoptee Molly McLaurin and birthmother Mellisa Lathion, about how relinquishment and adoption has impacted them as mothers, how cultural factors shape our views of family and motherhood and who is a worthy mother, and how faith communities can better serve adoptees, birthmothers, and mothers in crisis on Mother’s Day and beyond.
This is the final episode of our first season. We are immensely grateful to all of you who have journeyed with us thus far, exploring the intersection of adoption and faith from the perspectives of adoptees and birth families. We encourage you to follow us on our website as we continue to offer new content, and hope you will join us again on the podcast for Season 2, launching in October.
Mellisa Lathion has been a birth mom for the past 25 years and has been working in healthcare for the past 14 years. She is in reunion with her birth son, who she placed in a semi-open adoption in 1999. Mellisa is passionate about sharing her story and providing evidence-based education to empower others in order to improve the care of those impacted by adoption. Mellisa has her MSN in Nursing Education and works as a Nurse Educator and Lactation Coordinator. She is certified in Maternal Newborn Nursing and Respectful Equitable Care. Mellisa is married to her husband of 15 years and together they have a son and daughter. Mellisa also has 8 “bonus” children, as well as 27 “bonus” grandchildren.
Molly McLaurin is founder of Monarch Connections, a company focused on empowering, creating connections, and exploring various identities through intimate and group-facilitated conversations, panel events, and more. As part of Monarch Connections, Molly leads Adoptee Talk, a gathering for adult adoptees and former foster youth to make meaningful connections while discussing the joys and struggles of life as adoptees.
Molly is a Black, transracial adoptee who always knew she was mixed race, white, and other. She was raised with her twin sister in a white, two-parent, Air Force/pro-military, “Christian” home. Having a global upbringing allowed Molly to see the world, yet it has also forced her to deconstruct ideas that she was taught due to being raised “colorblind” by white folks. She is unpacking white privilege, institutionalized racism and other dynamics related to adoption, race, and faith. She is currently in reunion with her Haitian Dad, cousins, and Taties, and had one phone call with her first mom before she passed. Molly is proud that her biological sons will never live with the unknowns around racial identity.
Faith Collective for Truth and Healing in Adoption: Website | Instagram
The Primal Wound, by Nancy Verrier
Who Is a Worthy Mother? An Intimate History of Adoption, by Rebecca Wellington
