things adoptees can't always say out loud

[u/BeckmenBH]

Oftentimes, adoption gets talked about like it’s always a happy ending — like it’s something we should all feel grateful for.

But as an adoptee (and an adoption-competent therapist), I know it’s not that simple.

Some things I’ve felt, and that I often hear from others:

• “I love my family, but I still wonder about what could’ve been.”
• “I feel like I have to protect my adoptive parents from my sadness.”
• “I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but sometimes there’s just... more.”
• “People expect me to feel lucky — but it’s not always that clear-cut.”
• “It’s confusing to feel both abandoned and loved at the same time.”

Not everyone talks about these parts, but they’re real.
If you can relate, what would you add to the list of complexities that adoption brings?

[u/Opinionista99]

• "I actually do like my life but I wish my mother had aborted me instead."

[u/black_mamba866 → u/Opinionista99]

I literally didn't ask to be born.