As a fair baby who looked like I had been born to my adoptive parents, my own cultural background was not often discussed. I ADOPTED my parents’ cultural traditions and genealogical history. It was the seventies. The AS IF philosophy was widely used: AS IF born to your adoptive parents. What need would I have for a separate identity than my parents when theirs was perfectly sound?

Adoptive parents today are making a strong effort to integrate their children's ethnic history into their lives, due to changing social mores and studies showing how important the adoptee’s knowledge of their cultural background leads to a healthier self-identity.

Now that I have met my birth mother, and know of the circumstances around my birth, I can let go of my PRINCESS MISSING fantasy.The real details of my dual history easily replace my escapist BLUE BLOOD imaginings.

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