It’s an honour to bring you this mother/daughter duo, Fleurette and Amy, for an in-depth view of a long-term reunion. We talk about the unusual circumstances surrounding Amy’s adoption, the disappointment they both felt after their first official in-person meeting, how bringing grandkids into the equation shifted their relationship, and how many years it took them before they felt their reunion relationship was “normal”. Spoiler alert - it was a loooong time.

Show Notes

Topics We Discussed

A closed adoption situation that turned out to be an in-family adoption by mistake (thanks SK gov’t!)
We hear their story from both Amy’s (daughter) and Fleuerette’s (mother) perspective
Fleurette decided, “well I’m the adult here” and summoned up the courage for the first phone call
Their first official in-person weekend together was difficult for both of them. It’s not like the movies! “It was a terrible weekend”
“I met an adult.” There wasn’t the connection and immediate feeling of love
“This is a stranger.” So many unmet expectations.
They share some of the hard conversations they’ve had while navigating reunion
Fleurette talks about some of the stigma of being a birthmother - even today
How their relationship shifted when Amy had her children
We talk about the real stuff… how they considered walking away, giving up… what made them stick it out.
“Nothing good comes without working for it” - Fleurette
Practically speaking - how do they keep in touch during a long distance relationship
What’s been great about reunion