Continued...

I think about Toby Dawson and think how difficult this must all be for him…to know that he wasn’t purposefully placed for adoption, but actually had a father searching for him in Korea…to think about what his life would have been like had he stayed with his family in Korea versus being adopted and growing up in America. He talks openly about feeling stuck in between two countries and cultures. I hope that finding his birth father and reconnecting to Korea and his first family will help him feel like he belongs in both places.

I think about the adoptive parents (who from what I have seen have remained silent this week) and how they must be feeling. I know it would be a rough blow to us to learn that one of our children was not a true orphan and had not been deliberately placed for adoption by their first family. And yet I know I would be overjoyed with the miracle of one of my kids having a joyful reunion with their birth family, especially after a long search.

We have several kids who we have plenty of information on birth families, and two situations that have been somewhat open at times. We have several kids who we know little to nothing about their first families and for which searching will be a lot more difficult. I know fully well that our kids will likely grow up and want to search for their first families, and I also know that maybe some of them will not. And I know that how they feel about that will probably change with time. Josh and I plan to support them in whatever they choose, and would love for any of them to have a happy ending to their search.

Dawson is starting a foundation in Korea in his name to try and prevent situations like his from happening in the future.

I hope that things have changed in Korea and that this serves as a lesson in all countries so that more effort is being made by officials, orphanages and agencies to ensure that the children being adopted internationally or domestically are true orphans, and do not have parents out there searching for them

I hope that he is able to find peace in his heart with who he is, and be able to maintain his family ties with both families and countries. I also hope that both sets of parents will be able to put Dawson’s needs first, and unite over the love they share for him. I hope this story ends up with a happy ending…both for Dawson and for all of the transracial adoptive families watching.