"I think my mom does a great job addressing this in the book, but open adoption is not without its challenges." - Belle Sexton

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the honor of speaking with Linda R. Sexton, an adoptive mom and author, and her 25-year-old daughter, Belle. This marks our first mother-daughter duo on the podcast, offering a unique perspective on open adoption.

Linda R. Sexton is an author, speaker and blogger. She is an adoptive mom of two children, both in open arrangements, and is the author of the award-winning book, The Branches We Cherish: An Open Adoption Memoir. The story is told with frank honesty about the grief and joys of open adoption. Linda includes the voices of all four birth parents, birth grandmothers and her adopted children. She has seen first hand how an adopted child can benefit greatly by knowing and connecting with birth parents and other members of their biological family. Visit her website lindarsexton.com to learn more.

In our episode, Belle shared her adoption story, highlighting her early life in Texas and the open adoption plan created by her young birth parents. She emphasized the importance of knowing her birth family, which helped her navigate her identity as an adoptee. Linda reflected on the emotional journey of waiting for Belle's birth and the profound moment when Belle's birth mother handed her over in a hospital ceremony.

We discussed the complexities of open adoption, including Belle's feelings of adoptee's guilt and the importance of maintaining connections with birth families. Both emphasized that while open adoption can be challenging, it is a better option when compared to closed adoptions.

For those of you who enjoyed this podcast and wish to know more, The Branches We Cherish: An Open Adoption Memoir is available on Amazon or can be purchased from your favorite bookseller. There are several families involved in the story and most of the names have been changed to protect privacy. (Since you now know Belle, she is Sofie in the book.) 

This episode beautifully illustrates the complexities and joys of adoption, and I hope it resonates with those on similar journeys. 

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RESOURCES:

Linda & Belle’s information:

• Pick up Linda’s book The Branches We Cherish: An Open Adoption Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+branches+we+cherish+linda+sexton&crid=3UANIFD0F97FF&sprefix=the+branches+we+%25

• Or pick it up at an independent bookstore if you prefer: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-branches-we-cherish-an-open-adoption-memoir-linda-r-sexton/20200003

• Explore Linda’s website: https://www.lindarsexton.com/

• If you want to reach Belle, email Linda through her website, and she will get your message to Belle 

Other Resources:

• APtitude Support Group for Adoptive Parents Facing Adoption’s Challenges: http://UnravelingAdoption.com/APtitude

• Other Parents Like Me - http://oplm.com

• Heather Ross - Life Coaching for Parents who have a child struggling with addiction: https://heatherrosscoaching.com/

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Unraveling Adoption is produced and hosted by Beth Syverson

Music written and performed by Joseph Nakao

Email questions or comments to [email protected]

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Support Unraveling Adoption on Patreon: http://Patreon.com/UnravelingAdoption

Check out our website: http://UnravelingAdoption.com

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TIME STAMPS

00:00:00 - Introduction to Unraveling Adoption Welcome to the podcast and introduction of hosts and guests.

00:01:26 - Belle's Adoption Story Belle shares her background and experiences with her birth parents.

00:03:15 - Terminology in Adoption Discussion on the vocabulary used to describe adoptive and birth parents.

00:04:16 - Linda's Perspective on the Adoption Process Linda reflects on the emotional journey of adopting Belle.

00:06:06 - The Ceremony of Relinquishment Linda describes the emotional moment of receiving Belle from her birth mother.

00:08:09 - Memories and Keepsakes Belle shares about the memorabilia from her birth family.

00:10:12 - Challenges in Open Adoption Discussion on the complexities and challenges faced in open adoption.

00:12:25 - Understanding Birth Parents' Choices Belle reflects on her birth parents' decision-making process.

00:15:46 - Adoptee's Guilt Belle discusses feelings of guilt and the impact of her adoption experience.

00:19:03 - Navigating Relationships with Birth Parents Belle talks about her relationship dynamics with her birth parents.

00:20:52 - The Impact of Writing the Memoir Linda and Belle discuss the process and effects of writing the memoir together.

00:26:02 - Final Thoughts on Open Adoption Belle and Linda share their concluding thoughts on the benefits and challenges of open adoption.

00:28:49 - Connecting with the Audience Linda provides information on how to reach her and access her resources.