Finding My Place: Birth Mothers Manage the Boundary Ambiguity of Adoption Reunion Contact

Karen March

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.11.3.07

Authors

Karen March Carleton University, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.11.3.07

Keywords:

Adoption Reunion, Motherhood, Contact Expectations, Boundary Ambiguity, Adoption Triad Roles

Abstract

This study describes how essentialist notions of motherhood infl uence adoption reunion outcomes. The data analysis is based primarily on in-depth interviews with 33 reunited birth mothers. Collectively, the birth mothers perceived themselves to be the mothers of a child lost to them through adoption. Reunion contact jeopardized this perception when the mothers met adopted adults who did not accept their mothering overtures. Continued contact meant suppressing their motherhood desires and taking on a reunion role more consistent with their adoption triad position.

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Author Biography

Karen March, Carleton University, Canada

Karen March teaches courses on family, aging, and qualitative research methods at both the graduate and undergraduate level. She has been on the executive board of the Canadian Sociology Association and has held the positions of Associate Dean of Student Affairs for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Carleton, Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Carleton University, and Interim Associate Dean of Student Affairs for the Faculty of Graduate and Studies. Dr. March has been working in the field of adoption research for over fifteen years and concentrates on issues of identity. Her book, The Stranger Who Bore Me, examines the search motivations of adopted adults and their perception of contact outcome.

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