Your first contact has already occurred, and now you are ready to meet. You may have been in touch via the telephone, by email or letter. After that first contact, you have probably spent some time getting to know one another. Maybe not, when some birth family members live close to each other, that first face-to-face meeting may come rather quickly. In most cases though, that first meeting takes awhile to happen.

Eventually, one party can stand the wait no longer and suggests meeting face to face. The other party may or may not be ready to meet. Timing is crucial throughout reunion. As impatient as some of us may be (oh yeah, me especially), it is much better to wait until both parties are ready.

For some it may take months to be ready to meet, for others years may pass before it seems the right time. If you rush into a meeting too early though, it could backfire on you. That first meeting is often a very powerful experience. The best approach is to proceed cautiously and be respectful and understanding. You may be ready, however, your child or birth family member may not be there.

The mere thought of that first reunion meeting scares the strongest of souls. For most of us, it is a monumental occasion. It changes your life forever to meet your birth parent or relinquished child. That first meeting is an experience beyond compare – for many of us, it is a profound, moving and emotional experience.

Meeting your child or birth parent for the first time is hard to describe – emotions and expectations run high. We take great care in arranging all the details of our first meeting, as we want the occasion to be perfect. Birth moms fret about what to wear, worry they may cry too much, not be not pretty enough, smart enough or somehow fail to meet their child’s fantasy expectations. Adoptees have similar concerns.

To Be Continued…………………………………………………………………