Morning folks - just wanted to share my adoption story with all you good folk - I’m 53 and was adopted as a baby in 1968 - my adopted mum always told me from I was old enough to understand - my birth mother was a widow and my birth father was a married man and in the late 1960’s in Northern Ireland, this would have been a big deal so she decided to put me up for adoption and I was placed with my mum and dad (mum couldn’t have kids) had a good life (apart from being diagnosed with MS) met my wife and we have 2 boys…I always knew my birth mum’s name and a couple of times tried to make contact through social services but she felt that it couldn’t happen, probably too many questions for her to deal with, but she gave me her photo through the social worker and I sent her mine with my wife and boys…anyway last december I happened to look at a webpage called “funeral times Northern Ireland” and saw that she had passed away,aged 95 and her funeral was the next day in a town about 35 miles away where I live (how freaky was that), I went to the funeral, sat at the back of the church and out to the burial in the graveyard and kept a low profile - I spoke to the minister privately and he was aware that I existed and said he would contact my half sister, her son, my nephew rang me and we have arranged a meet up, he said they are so happy that i have took this step and are looking forward to meeting me - I guess the story of adopted people is that feeling of needing to know where we really came from and what our story is? So there you go, fellow MSers - “long lost families”
Sorry to hear about your birth Mum and that you never got to meet her. But that’s wonderful you’ve been able to contact other members of your birth family!
I really hope the meeting goes well and it’s all you want it to be.
Hi Redman, thankyou for sharing this very personal and touching story.
It must’ve have been so hard for your mum…the film Philomena comes to mind…but wow! she lived to a great age and gave you all this family.
I’m pleased for you.
Boudsx
My goodness, Redman, what an amazing story – thank you for sharing this. I cannot imagine the sort of complex emotions that are swirling round in you and those connected you to by the ties of love and now perhaps ties of blood too. I wish you fair weather as you navigate these unknown waters.
I’m a bit older than you, but I grew up in NI too, so I do get it when you talk about the social background as it was back then. I hope that widening your family circle beyond your adoptive parents and the family that you and your wife have made will be joyful and enriching.
Thanks Alison - as you know NI or Ireland as a whole didn’t handle the “out of wedlock births” very well - sadly my adoptive parents have both passed away over the last 9 years because they always would have wanted me to meet up with my birth mother and her family, infact they wanted to thank her for allowing them to have a son - thanks for all the replies
Hi Redman, thanks for sharing your story. I found it very moving.
Good on you! I am pretty much the same age as you, and also adopted - but have no wish to find my biological parents, although my adoptive parents would support me if I wanted to. So glad that you took the plunge and it worked out!
Meeting went very well with my half sister and nephew and we hope to meet again soon, alot of maybe difficult things to get through but we seemed to hit it off and my two nieces are dead keen to get in touch - 
You know, your story is touching and makes you think. I have long dreamed of adopting a child because I cannot have children biologically. Three years ago, I applied to an adoption agency that helped me prepare all the necessary documents, and half a year ago, my son finally began to live with me. We don’t know anything about his biological parents since he got into the orphanage in infancy. But I understand that he will want to know about his family who abandoned him one day. I’m sure his mother had her reasons for doing so. And I’m very worried about my boy.
It’s a great thing to do and I had a fantastic adoption…gives other folks a chance to raise a child that may not have had as good a chance in life - it can have it’s problems for some folk but generally works well - go for it