What do you do? Adoptive parents react to the news that their child is considering a search in a myriad of ways. The ways to respond to the news of a search can vary tremendously. Many factors influence how parents react. Here are a few of those factors:

1) The strength of their relationship with their child.
2) Whether or not they are relaxed and open people.
3) Their personalities in general.
4) Their views on birth parents.

Many thoughts start churning through adoptive parents' heads once they hear about their child’s intention to search. If their relationship with their child is strong and solid, they may not feel too threatened about a search.

However, if their relationship is tenuous with their child, they may begin to worry. They might have concerns about their child liking the birth parents better, wanting to drop them like a hot potato and embrace their newly found birth family.

Every so often you hear about an adoptee finding birth family and sailing off into the sunset with them, moving in and loving it. This is exceptionally rare, but the fear still worries some adoptive parents enough to fear the prospoect of reunion.

Adoptive parents who are laid back, easy going people may embrace the idea of more people to love their child. They may understand the concept that most people have enough love to go around.

Some people crave sameness and are fearful of any changes that rock the boat. The idea of new family members for their child might be terrifying for them. People who are resistant to change are unlikely to support their child’s desire for a search.

Many adoptive parents have negative impressions of birth parents and worry that somehow they will hurt or let their child down. They want to discourage a search as they feel reunions are generally negative. Since they have negative opinions of birth parents and reunion, they may want to spare their child a possibly hurtful outcome.