Tag Archives: searching

Book Review: Throwaway Daughter

I read this book with a mixture of fascination and horror. The author of Throwaway Daughter, Ting-Xing Le, lived through the Cultural Revolution in China and worked as a translator before defecting to the West. (Her life story is told in her memoir A Leaf in the Bitter Wind.) Throwaway Daughter, however, is a novel about a Chinese girl adopted to Canada who goes back to look for her Chinese family. The American Library Association listed it on its Best Books for Young Adults, but I would warn parents against giving this volume to children. Parents should read it first … Continue reading →

Google Desktop

Can’t find that e-mail message from Lisa that had her phone number in it? And what ever happened to that photo of your son on the playground that you are sure you downloaded to your hard drive? With Google Desktop, you can easily search your entire hard drive to find what you need. Of course you are familiar with Google, the powerful search engine that you probably use everyday. In fact, it is so popular that it has spawned it’s own verb tense, as in “Okay, I admit it, I googled my old high school boyfriend, yesterday.” (Oh come on, … Continue reading →

Garage Sales: How and Where To Find Them

Garage sales are everywhere at this time of year. And even if they aren’t called garage sales, you will see them possibly advertised as yard sales, church sales, rummage sales, tag sales, sidewalk sales and even moving sales. Regardless of what they are called in your area, they are a terrific option for purchasing second hand or used items that still have a lot of life in them. But how do you know when they are happening? Where do you find these treasure filled spots? It would be the opposite of frugal to aimlessly drive around looking for garage sale … Continue reading →

Making Contact: Finding My Child’s Adopted Siblings

After three years of playing amateur private investigator, I finally found the rest of my son’s birth siblings’ adoptive families. I desperately wanted more information on my son’s family medical background than I was given by our state. I wanted to know if the other families got more information on my son’s birth parents character as well. Here is the story on how we made contact. For easier reference and safety purposes, I will refer to my son’s birth siblings by their maternal birth order rather than their names. My son is the 6th child of 8 by his birthmother. … Continue reading →

An Adoptee Searching In The United States

After some serious thought and a few readers questions on the whole search aspect of adoption, I decided I should clarify some points on my own personal journey. First, my adoption from pregnancy until finalization was all completed in the United States. I have very little experience in International adoption and although I have plenty of resources available for someone searching outside the United States, I do not have the personal knowledge to write about it on a regular basis. I am working with a friend one mine who was adopted internationally, and will hopefully provide some articles on how … Continue reading →

Is My State An Open Or Closed Record State?

Often we run into problems while searching. Especially if the state in question is a closed record state. What is the difference between an open record and a closed record state? Easy really. An open record state means that anyone involved in the triad may request the information in the file. A closed record state means that the state closed its adoption records to public inspection. Here is a quick list of who’s open and who’s closed: Alabama – OPEN Alaska – OPEN Arizona – CLOSED, Year – Unknown Arkansas – CLOSED, Year – 1935 California – CLOSED, Year – … Continue reading →

At What Age Can I Begin To Search?

One of the most often asked questions is – how old does an adoptee have to be before they can search? Unfortunately, there is not one single answer. Every state is different in it’s rules and regulations as to the age of consent to search. What you are looking for particularly is called The Age of Consent or The Age of Majority. This is the age at which a person residing in a particular state is legally considered an adult. This is a typical qualification for obtaining information from adoption records. Don’t misunderstand. You can start searching whenever you feel … Continue reading →

Are You Ready To Search?

Are you sure you are ready to search? It can be a long and grueling process. There can be misinformation given, that can frustrate you. There can be dead ends and wrong turns along the way. Are you prepared to face those frustrations daily? Are you prepared for the long extensive research that goes along with it? Are you prepared to find out that perhaps a biological relative does not want contact with you? Nobody is ever truly prepared. But there is a certain mentality that you must take when beginning your search. You need to remember that the person … Continue reading →