There are a lot of reasons why an adopted person may want to look for their birth parents. However, in some situations, it can be hard to track them down. While open adoptions usually involve your adoptive parents staying in touch with or at least being aware of your biological parents’ identities, there are a lot of closed adoptions where this information isn’t provided. That means adoptees grow up without knowing anything about their background or who their birth parents are. If you don’t have many details about your family, read on to learn more about how you can find your birth parents without their names.
How can you find your birth parents without their names?
Online resources like free people search websites can be incredibly useful for adoptees looking to reconnect with their biological parents. Obviously having specific information like full names can be helpful in your search, but there are a number of specialized services that focus on helping adopted children find their biological parents, even with a limited amount of information available. Phone numbers, former addresses, and details connected to their employment can be particularly useful.
When your adoption is closed, you often won’t have access to identifying information about your biological parents. That often means first and last names, contact information, and current details about their job or location won’t be provided unless you’re able to have the records unsealed. Some adoption agencies and foster care agencies have programs that can help birth parents and adoptees gain access to updated information, but these programs typically require consent from both parties, and it can take years to complete the process. Private reunion registries also exist, which you can sign up for if you’re interested.
Social media can also be a useful resource. There are even stories about long-lost relatives reconnecting after finding each other on platforms like Facebook. Even general information about the location where you were born or how many biological siblings you have can be useful clues. Don’t forget to check other platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, which also have millions of users that could help you get a step closer to finding your birth parents.
What can you do to prepare for meeting a biological parent?
Even if you’re excited and you feel you’re prepared to do so, it can be emotionally challenging to connect with a birth parent. Schedule a therapy session both before and after you’re expecting to meet them. You may even want to plan to have a session to discuss whether or not you should contact them. Whether it goes well or it doesn’t happen in the way you expect, your therapist can help you process the experience in a healthy way and move forward in your life.
It’s important to keep in mind that just you being ready to talk to them doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ready to talk to you. Adoptions happen for a variety of reasons and they can be difficult for both adoptees and birth parents to think about later in life. Sending a letter or an email and allowing them to respond in their own time is often the best way to begin a dialogue, rather than knocking on their door one day out of the blue.
Finding your birth parents can take a long time, especially if you don’t have much identifying information to begin with. That doesn’t mean you should give up hope. Fortunately for adoptees, it’s getting easier to find out more about your biological family. Technology and advances in medical fields like DNA testing have allowed adopted people to uncover more about their background even without access to personal details about their biological parents. It’s definitely possible to find your birth parents without their names; you just need to make sure you’re emotionally prepared for what comes next.
