There are several conferences that occur every year that I would love to present at, but finances preclude me from doing so. It costs between $500 and $1000 each time I travel somewhere to present, and the ATN budget doesn’t come close to allowing that. One of those conferences is the American Adoption Congress annual conference. I spoke there a few years ago. It is a conference that is supposedly aimed at all three members of the triad, but there are far more birthmoms and adult adoptees in attendance than there are adoptive parents. I didn’t know that, and when my workshop geared towards adoptive parents was accepted, I went to the conference expecting my usual audience. There weren’t too many adoptive parents even there!


But it was by no means a wasted effort. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting many adult adoptees, and it was there that one of the early seeds was planted in my growing desire to reach out to that population as well. I was shocked at the number of adoptees who were drawn to the ATN booth like bees to honey. “That’s ME!” they exclaimed, as they read the checklist of behaviors that describe compromised attachments. “What can you do for ME?”


I did the only thing I could think of to do … I came home and started a listserve for adult attachment-affected adoptees. It isn’t terribly active at this moment, but I have complete confidence that when the time is right, it will be. Perhaps the woman I spoke about in my previous post will be a new member on that list.


I really, really have a heart for folks whose losses have so wounded them that they can’t develop healthy relationships even when they want to do so. I’d like to present once again at the AAC conference, but this time it wouldn’t be a workshop geared towards adoptive parents. It would be for adoptees.


The folks at AAC are going to check in to writing a grant to cover my travel expenses. I really hope that happens.


Issues facing adult adoptees


Photo Credit