Hello! My name is Christine. My story about adoption began in 1994 when I learned I was expecting my first child. I grew up in a devout Catholic household along with my four siblings and our widowed mom. We truly did not have resources to support me parenting my son. I was 16 years old, and I knew immediately after learning that I was expecting, my whole life was forever changed.
I felt a little pressure from some, not family, to choose aborting my son. This was never an option for me. So, likely due to my experience of having grown up without my dad, I was 7 years old when he died, I researched the heck out of adoption.
Open adoption was pretty new then, and of course there were no guarantees. But, by the grace of God, He led me to my son’s family. There were absolutely times of hesitation and lots of questions. This led to a very lonely junior year in high school. I ultimately decided to move forward with my adoption plan and signed the paperwork.
I felt I had nothing to give my son except my love. Whether he would understand or not, I hoped that one day, he would understand the love behind the decisions I made. The ache in my heart never left until years later, when as an adult, he searched for me. Throughout his life, his family always kept the door open for him to make that step/choice/decision.
Though thousands of miles separated us, we were never truly apart in the heart.
My prayer for women considering to parent or choose adoption, is to stay true to who you are knowing that this is your decision– and research all of your options. My hope is that every woman can become the best version of herself no matter the situation.
