Today we are going to look at a reunion between a mother and daughter, and how their guiding principles have helped build a strong and healthy connection over the past three years.

Show Notes

Topics We Discussed

Marni’s first episode - Season 2 Episode 10 “A Model Reunion”
Marni calls Karen, her “other mother”
Karen shares her story as an unwed mother in the 1960s in Ohio
How Karen had to hide her pregnancy
Learning about the stages of grief helped Karen process what she was going through
Marni felt guilty and disloyal to her adoptive parents when she was first exploring reunion with Karen
Guiding Principles: 1. Immediate families come first. 2. There are no “what ifs”! 3. Celebrate the gift. 4. Celebrate today.
Karen and Marni made a list of things they need to agree on - like holidays, how often to communicate, etc. Going through this list and discussing these things developed trust.
We go through some tricky questions: Why do adoptive families get prioritized over biological families and is that for the best? What contributes to reunions failing?
Marni addresses feeling vulnerable and how that can make us uncomfortable.

Recommended Resources

Janet Nordine’s blog experiencecourage.com and find her on Instagram
Janet’s blog post “Vulnerability, Gratitude, Adoption… Oh My!”
Brené Brown’s Ted Talk “The power of vulnerability”
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie

Connect With Us

Marni Metzler Hall: Facebook
To connect with Karen you can send Marni a message on Facebook and she’ll connect you via email
Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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