My husband knows to quickly turn the channel if we happen to be surfing through and land on one of the shows that spotlight adoption reunions because I always end up invariably yelling at the TV out of sheer frustration at only portraying that first, highly emotional, almost always tear-jerking moment of the initial adoptee/birth mother hug.  To me, it’s kind of setting adoptees (and birth parents and adoptive parents) up for failure. Although it was truly an incredible, joyous and unforgettable moment for me to find my birth mother and then birth father, it somehow leaves the viewer with the false impression that it is that easy. You search, you find, you live happily ever after. And I guess that can be true, but the fact is that everyone comes to the table with a whole lot of “life” under their belts at that time and those lives need to find a way to be knitted together in a whole new fabric. I would think it would be similar to bringing blended families together after a divorce. Although a wonderful thing, it can be messy, challenging and difficult at times. There is often a lingering pain that may have been buried for a very long time by parents who have given children up for adoption. That needs to be addressed and dealt with. It doesn’t go away just because a reunion may occur. Not to mention all of the emotions of the adoptee. I always scream at the TV to stick with the story long enough to show us Day 2, or, as in my case, Year 20.  That’s where the real story is. And that’s what I wanted to share with all of you.