[heidim]

I am researching different and out-of-the-ordinary ways that adoptive families connected with their birth parents. I am especially interested in families who found their birth parents without the help of an agency or attorney. This may have happened through word of mouth, printed materials or the Internet. I will use these stories to develop a workshop that encourages families to get creative with outreach. Any help you can offer will be most appreciated.

[heidim]

Many thanks to everyone who responded to my thread. I received many interesting and moving reunion stories as well as a few about birth parents who had chosen the adoptive families of their babies. I hope to respond to everyone in the next week or so, and to save all the reunion e-mails for a future article or book. Adopting parents need to know how important ongoing contact is to birth parents, and what better way to hear about it but through those who never had it and wish they had. Just so you know, I am a two-time adoptive mother who enjoys open and warm relationships with birth family. Wouldn't have it any other way.

For the record (and I apologize for not being clear), my workshop is aimed at families hoping to adopt. Many of these families start the process using an agency or attorney. I want to help them "widen their net" by seeking out birth parents on their own as well. Real-life examples of the latter are the kind of stories I am seeking for the workshop, stories of how an adopting family successfully connected with the birth parents before the baby was even born or shortly after birth. Please see my newer thread "Designated adoption stories wanted" for more information. And again, thanks for sharing so much.