Adoption Uncovered

Lynn Grubb felt fairly comfortable growing up as an adoptee. Then, when she became an adult she got curious and decided she wanted to find her birth family. The process wasn't smooth for her and she learned a lot along the way. Now that she has discovered where she came from she offers advice to others seeking their past. Lynn also gives back to children in foster care by volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem, also known as CASA. You can find out more about doing DNA searches and volunteering with foster care in this podcast episode.

Patricia Knight Meyer's story seems foreign compared to the happy renditions of adoptive families brought together for happy holiday photos. She was adopted quietly, without proper paperwork. This left her in a state of limbo for a good portion of her life, worried that if anyone looked hard enough she would not be able to prove her identity or her citizenship. Over the course of her life she sought out her birth family, but even that connection was not a simple solution to her problem. Find out about more about how she navigated life without documentation and how her writing helped her process her experience.

When Carlynne Hershberger found out she was pregnant at 19 she could never have known then how that experience would shape the rest of her life. Many women don't. In Carlynne's case she became a victim of the baby scoop era when young pregnant women were hidden away and their babies were taken from them with little consideration for their feelings on the matter and given to other families to raise. Carlynne wants us to be aware that even though the baby scoop era is technically in the past, large pieces of that thinking remain. She believes birth mothers need more support and more options available to them so they can truly consider what is best for them and their children.

Nick Adam's King and his husband began their adoption journey years ago with the adoption of their son. Later they adopted again and their daughter joined the family. Nick helps me understand how adoptions in the UK differ from those in the US. We learn about the ups and downs of their journey and how Nick learned to find his place among the school "Mommy Mafia".

The orphan trains were an early experiment in American history in which well meaning adults in large East Coast cities put children that didn't appear to be in the care of an adult on a train out west to be adopted by farm families . For some children this meant they traded a life of scrounging on the street for food and living out in the elements for a warm bed and regular meals. Other children who were only temporarily without care knew they were leaving whole families behind in the city and didn't want to go. Then there were children who were confused and didn't know which way to turn. Some of the families these children were placed into did give them a warm bed and a spot at the family table. Other children languished in the barn and were treated as indentured help. Looking into America's adoption history can help us see where we have come from and teach us lessons on where we should go. Learn along with us.

JeNae Goodrich was adopted into her own family as a child.  Growing up surrounded by adopted siblings helped prepare her for her life of social work, but she couldn’t have predicted that she would have gotten involved with one of the toughest, most stressful and even controversial sides of adoption. JeNae heads up the KidTeen program at Wasatch International adoption agency. Wasatch has one of the few programs in the country willing to work with families who have already adopted, but find that the child they adopted is not doing well in their home and they might need to place the child in another home. This is one of the more difficult aspects of adoption. What happens when adoptions don't work out? Find our more about this process, the children and families involved and how JeNea navigates all of this trauma to try to bring peace and wellbeing to all involved.

Nadia Levitt was adopted by her loving parents by the time she was seven years old in Australia. She grew up in a caring environment, but when teen angst caught up with her at age 15 she ran away. This traumatic event opened up a whole new side of her adoption story. Nadia has been working through the meaning of adoption for her over the course of her whole life. Even into adulthood her perspective on what adoption means in her life is still changing and growing. Explore Nadia’s story this time on Adoption Uncovered. Then hear the adoption stories Nadia is showcasing on her podcast from Australia: My Unknown Truth.

Laura Orsini didn’t know her life was about to change, but the positive pregnancy test did for her what it has done for so many other women who aren’t expecting or ready for a child. It shocked her brain into planning mode to consider her options for this pregnancy. Once Laura decided on adoption choosing a family was challenging for her, but over time she grew to appreciate her choice. She was grateful that the process was rather smooth for her, but even more grateful for her almost miraculous interaction with the adoptive family and her son later in life.

You don’t have to adopt or be a foster parent to play an important role in helping children stay in stable homes. Lauren runs a ministry in her church that specifically supports foster families within her church and the wider community.