I came across the show Who Do You Think You Are? last night and it happened to be the episode that you traced your family tree all the way to Ireland. I have seen bits and pieces of that show before, so I was familiar with the premise and what was likely to happen.
But as I watched your episode, I could not help but think about the children you adopted. I have long read about how you do not see the importance of your children knowing where or who they came from, because after all you are their mother ... the one who raised them, loved them and cared for them. I know that you are not one to sing the praises of birth parents. Why, I cannot quite figure that out. But this is not the reason why I write this letter to you.
I heard you say things last night like (and I cannot quote directly, just a gist of what you were saying) ... this is much more moving than I thought it would be ... I feel like I am a detective of my family history ... I am so happy that I did this, to know where my family comes from. With those words that you said and the way that you felt when you were finding the missing pieces I had a twinge of hope that you could see just how important it is for someone to know where they are from. To know what their heritage is.
I would like to ask that you keep all those emotions and thougths close to you and perhaps let those feelings open up your heart and allow your children the same courtesy that all of those genealogists, towns folk, and records gave you: A sense of who your family was. Where you really came from and who you are related to. I am sure that your children have thought over and over again ... Where am I really from? What is my family tree like? Who is in my blood line and where are they now? These are questions that many of us have that are not adopted, so I can only imagine what an adopted child must wonder about their living blood relatives.
As you well found out in your journey on the show, genetics and family history is so important to one's life. I only hope that you open your mind and allow your children the same respect that you found while searching YOUR family tree. It is something that can be achieved without them changing their thoughts and feelings about you, their mother. Curiosity about ones roots is not a bad thing, and often can answer many more questions than we could ever imagine.
Thank you for your time and I am glad that you found your roots,
Kelsey Stewart
To view the show, please follow this link.
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