A precious Adoption Christmas list for Santa penned by Robin Westbrook:

Here’s my list for this year. As usual, I don’t expect you to be able to fill it, completely, but make a stab at it, huh, please?

1-Please give new Moms a shiny new roadmap to us older ones and adult adoptees so that maybe they can see the damage done and they won’t cave in to the pressure.

2-Please give all adult adopted people and their Moms the legal right to know all about themselves and each other. Some nice gift-wrapped books on how we Moms can deal with our fear-ridden denial and our adopted children can deal with their resentment and torn loyalties would be nice, too, so that we could heal ourselves and help each other.

3-I’d like a gift, too, for those who think they have a right to the children of others. I’d like their present to be a nice, big reality check and ability to see through their own propaganda. An unselfish conscience in their stockings also would not be amiss.

4-I don’t know if you can put this in your sleigh or gift-wrap it, but some general and genuine respect for us former “unwed” Mothers would be a big hit this Holiday.

5-For the people still in search, especially like Tauri’s Mom and some adopted people who have been lied to by adopters, just some perseverance and hope would be just the ticket for their gift.

I know this is a big list and very hard to fill, Santa, but these gifts have the potential to alleveiate a lot of unhappiness and isn’t making people happy your main job?

You’ll find milk and cookies and carrots for the reindeer as usual.

Love,
Robin Westbrook, age 60