How Do Adopted Children Feel About Being Adopted?

Adoption can impact a child's life in many ways. While it once thought that it was best to keep a child's adoption history secret, today adoption is celebrated by families across the world as a positive, beautiful event that makes each adopted child special.

For many generations it was often thought that adoption was a secret to be kept -- that women who placed a child for adoption should never speak of their child, that adoptive families should never share their child's adoption story and that it was in the best interest of the child to be kept in the dark regarding their history. However, this secrecy often lead to hurt, confusion and anger by each member of the "adoption triad" (the birth parents, the child and the adoptive family). This secrecy often cast a large shadow over adoption, often making it a negative aspect of a person's life, rather than a positive one.

However, times have changed. In today's world of adoption adoptive parents are more open about their child's adoption story. Many families even celebrate their child's adoption each year as a family tradition. Many children are taught from their earliest years that they were adopted -- and that being adopted meant they were immensely loved by both their adoptive parents and their birth parents. They are brought up knowing their adoption story from the very beginning and grow up to be proud of the fact that they were adopted and that their birth parents loved them so much that they made that difficult choice to choose adoption. Many are even so touched by their adoption story, that they grow up to be adoption professionals, such as Jennifer, an Adoption Specialist with American Adoptions:

"Twenty-six years ago I was given the most awesome gift, my family. I know it sounds odd, but my birth mother decided that placing me for adoption was the best choice for both of us. I still can’t imagine all she went through to come to that selfless decision ... I do admit that I had lots of questions growing up, but my parents have always made me feel that I am special because I was adopted," Jennifer said.

Today, rather than being a dark family secret, adopted children celebrate their adoption story. They grow up knowing how special adoption is and what a beautiful gift they were given by their birth parents. While they may have questions about their birth parents and where they came from, they grow up knowing that adoption is a very loving decision -- and it is one to be proud of.