North East Post Adoption Service - Adoption Narratives - Amy

Right Amy I'd like you to tell me about your life experiences erm the best way I think you could do this is by starting with your birth the child you once were erm explain about your childhood and to the present day to where you are now.

Right well pause I was adopted at 6 weeks old I was fostered for the first 6 weeks erm I ended up being left at the hospital which I found out not recently but when I was looking in my file I was left and fostered erm my parents got me when I was 6 weeks old they couldn't have kids for some reason and they had me and then erm 2 years later they adopted my brother as well he was 2 weeks old and erm we had a good life we always know we were adopted it was never hidden I can still remember the book it was used to explain to us it was called Jane is adopted and it was in very childlike terms to explain it erm me and my brother both used to get bullied at school for it but standard reply was I was special because we were chosen for our parents where as they just got stuck with what they were given laughs which was good I've never felt unwanted mum and dad always told us that we were wanted that out birth parents were just too young to look after us when they had had us I mean my birth mother was 17 my birth father was 16 pause so they were too young and it went on and erm as I got older I was more curious and wanted to know where I got things from and I wanted to know where I got my singing voice from I've got unusual coloured eyes and I wanted to know where they came from and then when I was 18 I decided I'd put my name down on the register at the office of national statistics I've always been very open with my parents about finding my birth parents so they were behind me 100 per cent and I never did anything at 18 and then I moved up here and started again and one of my friends whose adopted told me about neepass so I phoned and er Steve came out to see me and we got everything in motion I never really wanted a relationship as such with my birth parents if I ever found them I was just curious to know medical details but I found them spoke to them on the phone a few times erm Sheila my birth mother lives in Bristol so erm I caught the train down to Bristol and erm met her and she's got 4 kids she's got twins who are now 11 Graham and Simon there's Sue whose 13 and Richie whose 15 but unfortunately I've received a letter recently saying she doesn't want anything more to do with me which is fine I suppose I've found out what I wanted to know but I just wish she hadn't introduced me to the whole family now knowing I've got brothers and sisters and knowing I won't see them where as Terry it's different pause with Terry pause I first saw him walking towards me and I just smiled I just knew it was him it was just this great big hulk of a bloke and its surprising what's nature and what's nurture things like sense of humour would be with what your brought up with but its not I've got exactly the same sense of humour as him and its frightening sometimes and he's got 2 girls Michelle and Hannah their 16 and 14 pause and his new partner Babs whose got 2 children Andy whose 16 and Jess 15 and I now live with them pause all 6 of them laughs so that was it really Right so what was the process like for you like trying to find your parents did you go for section 51 counselling? No I'd felt as though I didn't need it my reasoning was that I wanted to find out medical details if they didn't want to see me they didn't want to see me I hadn't lost anything cause you can't lose something you've never had and I've still got my mum and my dad who are still my parents Right Whether they're blood or not they are my parents pause So what was the moment like the first time you spoke to your birth mother is that the first person you spoke to out of your birth parents? Yeah it was her and she just phoned me up and said is that Amy and I said yes and she said its Sheila right and I was just gob smacked I just couldn't think what to say