Welcome to the Adoption Series, created by Tweety, who is an adoptee herself. Since November is National Adoption Month, she wanted to use this time to highlight not only her own story but also the experiences of other adoptees.

In the media, adoption is often portrayed through a positive lens — the happy family, the heartwarming moments, the “forever home.” But what’s rarely shown is the other side: the pain, the abuse, the trauma that can come from being separated from one’s biological parents. You don’t often see the identity crisis, the acting out, or the trauma responses that adoptees carry as a result of that separation.

This series isn’t about claiming all adoptions are bad — because there are good ones. But that’s not the focus here. This series is about stepping out of the fog — confronting the hidden pain, the lasting effects of separation, and even the complexities of reunification, which isn’t always the golden ending people imagine it to be.

In Episode 1 of the Adoption Series, Tweety opens up about her own adoption story — how it was abusive, how she felt like a modern-day slave, and how she was often overlooked during holidays and birthdays. She also discusses how those experiences may have contributed to her Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis. Caitlin and Tweety also has a bit of back and forth about forgiveness and if she should forgive someone who said something she didn't like.

Tweety’s story is just one of many that expose the darker realities of adoption. As you listen, we ask that you do so with an open heart — not from a place of saving or defending, but with the intention to truly hear and understand the side of adoption that often goes unheard and unseen.