I met my birthmother when i was 34. One of the first things she said was if she had the opportunity to abort me she would have. I said back at ya. Too bad for her i had two beautiful children and five grandchildren that she never wanted to know. There are reasons why some people aren't worthy of having children. She was one of them..
Your two children and your five grandchildren are blessed to not have that person in their lives . You know the truth and can move forward and leave her in the murk behind .
My married birth parents relinquished me in the early 1970's. The only time I spoke to my birth mother she said they would stand at the door (of my bedroom) and say 'she is not for us'. She went on to have another 4 children which she 'kept'. I managed to contact her in my 30's and she also didn't want to know me. Tbh, at that time she was promised that I would never be able to find her - at a time before the internet. I have no personality before this neglect/abandonment, there was no me before the trauma of being discarded - for no reason. They both had jobs, she had a little car, had a house, etc, etc. But, none the less, I have created a good and happy life for myself with the love of my adopted father and grandparents who doted on me, and with my husband and sons who love me very much.
I suppose you can count yourself lucky that you weren't one of the four she kept, because in all honesty, the woman sounds like she has serious issues, and being brought up by someone like that destroys you in ways you can only imagine.
@@leaveittothediva Yes, I agree. Whilst I was being adopted/relinquished, my mother was actually pregnant with my full sister (which is unfathomable to me), she was one of the children they kept. By a chance in a million I had contact with this full sibling very briefly on FB and by all accounts she did not fare so well.
What a beautiful soul you are. I gave up my son for adoption. I was 17 and my parents were going to throw me out of their house if I kept my son. I tried to rebel. But found that I couldn't even get a car or a job or rent anything to live in. I put him up for adoption. Hard to do. And when he turned 18, I did all I could do to find him. But where I lived, adoption is still looked at as shameful and we were foolishly kept from each other by the law. I then took a dna test as I wanted to know more about my family. All the secrets they kept. First thing I find is that I have a grand daughter. She and I connected. and she gave me my son's information. I contacted me and he was awful to me. So I apologized to him for bothering him. A month or so later, he contacted me and apologized. He was angry because his parents did not tell him he was adopted and he felt he was lied to. They meant no harm. They are older and religious and believed he would be harmed by some harlot who gave birth to him. We are now very connected. He has two little darling girls. I only get to see them on video calls as I live in Italy now and they are in the states. I love how his family raised him. He is good and kind and gentle. I love his wife and my grandchildren. I hope one day to actually meet. I can't just jump on a plane because I am fighting cancer at the moment and they are not wealthy. But my ability to fight hard with my illness is based on the love I receive from them. Mine has ended well.
Kathaerine, I wish you every continued success in your life. You sound lovely and I am glad you have made the connection you have with your son and grandkids albeit at arms length. Ask, belive and recive. Visualise your remission. Visualise your meeting up in person happily. I wish you well. Truly. I also wish your son and his family happiness too.
Thank you for your sacrifice of giving birth to your son and giving him a chance at life. My son is adopted and I’m grateful to his birth mother every day. He found his bio family but his mother didn’t want a relationship (I think she was ashamed though she didn’t need to be) but he does have one with his siblings. She died last year but she died knowing he turned out well.
I adopted my son from my sister 28 years ago she had family problems and she couldn't cope he's the youngest of 7 in 28 years he's never received anything from her. He's autistic and has severe mental health issues but I wouldn't change him for the world he's mine
I met my birth mother when i was 55 and she was 71. She was a waste of my time and refused to introduce me to her 5 other children of whom she raised. She claims she can't remember my biological fathers name. 😢 i feel like some of us are better off not knowing thier birth parents.
We adopted our son as an infant. You’d be surprised how many birth mothers are actually on the older side. A lot of them are just making mature and rational decisions to put their baby first and give them the best life possible. Our birth mother is our hero & our son knows that. I’ll never have a bad word to say about her.
My husband met his biological cousins a couple of years ago after nearly 50 years of searching. His mother had already passed. His parents married after he was adopted and had a daughter. My husband spoke via phone to his father who denied his existence (and it’s possible he may never have known). His full blood sister knows of him and wants nothing to do with him. Thankfully though, his beautiful cousins and their spouses have welcomed him literally with open arms and adore him. There’s so much more to the story, but my gratitude firstly goes to his mother for choosing to give birth to him, his adoptive parents who raised this beautiful man, and to his cousins who’ve helped him feel complete.
My birth Son found me about 4 yrs ago through DNA - What a gift! - I never thought I would get to know him (records were sealed) - But we are so close now - He is a full part of our family now,, as is his adoptive Mom - I feel so badly for the people who search for their birth parents and don’t receive the loving welcome they deserve - what a blessing to finally get to hug the child I couldn’t keep and tell him I love him - He tells me he loves me too!!!💕
So many different stories of what might have happened….I was forced by my parents to give up my son. I finally found him, 32 years after giving him up. We’ve now had a close relationship for almost 15 years. He thankfully, also had wonderful adoptive parents, whom I credit with rising him to become a wonderful man he became. We all consider ourselves very blessed to have each other in our lives. Honestly, I’ve never gotten over the loss of my son. Every story is unique and different and many very, very sad.
That’s extremely sad your parents forced you to give up your son. How traumatic 😢 and unfair. I’m sorry you have experienced that pain. I’m adopted and my birth ‘mom’ is awful. I had hoped she’d be someone kind like you. Your son is lucky to know you. ❤
I can relate to Andrew’s story. I too was adopted and never thought I’d find my birth family in my lifetime, age 70+ now. I found a half brother through a DNA test and then a half sister 2 1/2 yrs older than me. My birth mother had 4 children to 4 different men and died at age 44. All bar one of her children were either adopted, fostered, or give to the maternal grandmother to raise. I’m in contact with my 2 birth half siblings, although we haven’t met face to face yet. I was the lucky one, like Andrew, I was adopted into a loving family.
I'm so sorry he was rejected by his birth mother. i was reunited with my son after 35 years and it has been the greatest blessing in my life. I met my son'e adoptive parents and we all get along. There is no jealousy. As my son says, there is no limit to love. It can expand to embrace everyone.
Adoptions can be open from the start, which is much more common now. That unlimited love, as you describe. Adoptions used to be closed & secretive, but that doesn't have to be the way are handled.
Adoption is amazing. Can you imagine how unfortunate his life would’ve been if he were raised by his single mother? No father, no family unit. Children have a right to grow up in a family unit and adoption does just that.
What a moving story. I always liked Andrew Pierce as a public figure, but listening to him now I like him ten times more. What a kind, understanding man. So much empathy, so forgiving, and a heart filled with so much gratitude. I raise my hat to him. I hope his book is a resounding success.
Is it really nice it hasn't got care and compassion only for himself he was obviously adopted by very rich people who brought him up to be the snob he is now if you listen to anything he's saying for most things he says it's not about helping poor people it's like stamping on them never got a good word for anybody who is not a tory I feel sorry for him yes because that must have been quite awful for him I think lot of people would have a made out I didn't know him as well
@@JayneDay-u8d Thank you for that info. People assume that just because a person has a posh-sounding accent they were born wealthy. If he is a Tory, he's got a right to his opinion and shouldn't be deplored for it, as some comments here have shown. Very sad. I believe what makes a person is how he behaves in life and this man has shown he comes from a good place.
My spouse was raised by a family, not his biological parents. When we found his mother, she refused any talk of her past or my spouses father. We wanted to know if there were health concerns. We discovered there was a twin to my husband (!!!) and another sister, also all given up. Unfortunately, all 3 children given up had horrible, abusive upbringings. The good thing is, though, all 3 children have met since and are wonderful parents to their children.
Andrew, you are amazing for the way you have accepted and handled this reunion and that definitely is due to your parents who raised you. They sound amazing! I am a triplet, born in the midlands post war (five older siblings born within an eleven year period). I was separated from them all at the age of just over six. They had been moved out of London sometime during the war. My father, born in London and lived in Kensington, had never really had to bear financial responsibility for a growing family left home sometime after we were born. He never sent money home to support us and everyone at that time was financially destitute. My mother gave me to another family when my triplet brothers and I were just over six (never, ever having been separated before). That was hard and affected us all. I grew up understanding the reason why she did what she did. Fortunately, we were reunited 25 years later (at the age of around 31) and the connection was immediate (with all my siblings). It was virtually the first time my siblings were reunited under one roof in all that time. When I was separated, my oldest sister fought desperately to keep me with them (she was only 15 at the time and I thought she was an adult). There has always been that missing piece (even after reconnecting); however, I have always felt that it made me more empathetic about others. I am 76 now and live in a different country and we are all (the remaining living siblings and families) very close so we have been very lucky in that respect. My parents were Catholic too. Thank you for sharing your story.
Sadly this was quite a problem during the war and the women took their secrets to the grave because of societal pressure. Very sad I personally know of two such women.
Adoption is wonderful. Can you imagine the life of poverty and frustration he would’ve had being raised by a single mother? Adoption gives children a chance at a decent life with a mother and a father who want them. Another happy ending
To Betty & George! You raised an amazing soul in Andrew! We watch him from down under snd appreciate his work x what a brilliant book this is going to be !
I was put into private foster care when I was 4. My mother and step father had 3 other children who were all diagnosed as being paranoid schizophrenics. Of course I wondered why I was given up and they were retained. My mother said that she felt I could take care of myself and that the other children needed a lot of care. My grandmother found out where I was and took me out of foster care when I was 7 and raised me. My mother said that granny wanted me ... this was fortunate for me, but I still wondered why my mother didn't want me. Later I found my father's family and two wonderful half-siblings. I then made peace with my mother and was able to take care of her when she was terminally ill. I became very close to her during the year when she was dying and I forgave her for giving me up.
I found both my birth parents, no longer together. Neither would meet me. I found that I have half siblings, but I’m still searching for them. These people aren’t my real parents, my adoptive parents are my real parents
Just let it go my sister kept digging looking while I was just content to leave it alone. She found her and it turned out to be a nightmare sometimes it’s best to just let it go and protect the life and people that actually brought you up and supported you all these years.
@@daus6035Pardon me, but unless you’re an adoptee, you really have no place telling an adoptee what they should do. Adoption is a trauma and a loss, and we deserve to have a chance at seeing if we can finally meet our family of origin. Even if some stories are sad ones, and even if ours turn out to be.
my sister had a child at 16 and was forced to give him up she always hoped to contact him when the laws changed she was told by the social workers they had the information and would contact him to see if he was interested in knowing her. He was not so she was glad to hear he was well but sad after so much hope.
@@joannegregory3024 for my sister she did not get to meet him but she found out he was doing very well she was told he was a very successful business man and was married with 3 children so she was so happy to hear that.
@@mjones4083 she passed away but she was so happy to hear he was doing well I remember she was 16 and I was 14 she would ask me to hitchhike in the freezing cold of winter to go visit him she was allowed to do that for a year she had to have an adult sign for him to keep him nobody would do it.
There are real issues with children being adopted. AP has a "pro-adoption" story that centers his birthmother as bad and his adoptive parents as fabulous. This is one instance of a successful adoption placement. It doesn't take into account that most adoptees feel a tremendous sense of loss of identity and psychological issues from being separated from their birth mother. Society is responsible for the shame (he is older) surrounding illegitimate births/single mothers and the fact that the biological father gets to skip off without a care in the world. Despite AP's unhappy reunion with his birthmother, he still searched for her so he obviously wasn't a hundred percent fine with just being grafted onto his adoptive family's tree and wholly assuming their identity and history.
I found my birth mum and she didn't want to have anything to do w me but it gave me a sense of my history and roots. It did make me appreciate my adoptive parents more
Oh Andrew, you’re such a lovely man. I’m so sorry you didn’t find the answers you wanted but celebrate the fact you had a happy upbringing with such loving parents. I just want to send you a big hug
@@cathynewyork7918 You can’t be a lovely man yet think it’s correct to vilify and demonise those suffering most in society and also think it’s right to protect the very wealthiest in society in order that they get richer. He’s an awful person in general, the way he goes after people is despicable. No, he’s not a lovely man.
I adopted a child who I love with all my heart. Yet he is now estranged from me. I would be only too happy if his own birth mother embraced him but she didn't. For some reason this rejection affected my son who blames me. I'd do anything for his happiness and our reconciliation.
He has lost trust in humanity. It's a primal wound. Rejection by his birth mother probably left him feeling unloved and unable to trust your love. I hope you can let him know you will always be there for him, whenever he's ready to talk. Tell him just how amazing he is and seek professional help from adoption counselling.
He's angry, confused and you are the person he loves most, so he takes it out on you because he knows you won't hurt him. Please be patient with him and as another poster suggested, get some counseling to help you death with in a healthy way. When your son has battled his own demons, he knows you'll be there to bandage his wounds. ❤
I’m an adopted adult. The teenager who gave birth to me thought more of me to give me a better life than a 16 year old could. My mother and father are and always will be my PARENTS. The fairy tale of “what might have been: is just that - a fairy tale. Adoption has been made to be a horrible thing. It isn’t. It is the most selfless thing a woman can do. So many children today have been raised by teenagers and live with the scars of that when they would have been better off being brought up by a mother and father.
bmbutler: Perhaps. But those of us born before 1970--there was such thing as forced adoption, so it had nothing to do with the birth mother doing the best thing. It was forced, babies removed from the room the minute they were delivered. And then, people automatically assume that adoptive parents are all wonderful people. Some adoptive parents can be horrible so much that we break all contact with them!
After I had my own child, I was finally brave enough to 'look' for my birth mother. I discovered I grew up in the same village as my birth mother and never knew it. She was the best friend of my adoptive mother. Sadly she had died. Age 70 I found my half brother. We had gone to the same school and youth club! We got to know each other in the two years before he died. My father is still unknown to me. He was an American GI and probably died on the beaches in Normandy around D-Day.
Don’t give up. If you do a commercial dna test like 23 & Me or Ancestry there will be a chance others in your father’s extended family will have also have in the States. It could very well lead to identifying him. Best wishes to you.
I like to believe my Father was an American GI,,I do know that there was an American Army Base in County Armagh Northern Ireland ,where my birth Mother is from
My Irish husband went through the same thing!! Born in an orphanage in Waterford Ireland. The story of his situation and how it played out over the years is extremely questionable and unfortunate yet he has thrived through the many painful events that occurred.
Andrew is such a lovely gentle man. I always love listening to him. His adoptive parents did an amazing job looking after him and helping him turn into such a wonderful human being. God bless you Andrew ❤
I’m a birth mom who has been reunited with my son for 12 years. He is my son. We have family portraits together. He is a part of my life and my family’s. He has a relationship with his siblings. More so now that that are older. I’m glad I placed him, because his biological father and I would had made his life miserable. I’m glad he’s in my life and I have him back.
My birth mother didn’t want to know me, that’s their choice, I guess they had their reasons in the first place, my adopted parents were fabulous, generous and loving who could ask for more, I loved them both very much and they were mine ❤
I am proud of any mom who keeps their baby, goes through full term and delivers a healthy gift from God. IF that baby is given to another family to raise, then it is all beautiful. Brave mom.
@@allesasmart I am proud of all women who every day make tough decisions....!! Whatever choice they make... Not everyone is as maternal as I was blessed to be..... So many women face so many challenges... Just try not to be a Drug Addict or an Alcoholic because it wrecks lives..... 💖
I am happy for Andrew. He had great adoptive parents. He was on a mission to find his birth mother. He doesn't sound bitter about the birth mother's reaction. It is a sad story.
There was a big documentary about this just recently. The women were made to feel so bad about having the child that they saw the child as 'sin itself' and the church encouraged them to reject the child. Imagine. So much pain could have been avoided if these heartless, ruthless people hadn't been in charge of people's lives and given so much power.
Almost identical thing happened to me. I also went to school run by Sisters of Nazareth. My daughter did Ancestry and didnt tell me My natural mother is still alive, has huge family, my father told their children all about me on his deathbed. They never knew a thing, she says she HATES ME but i doubt that. Refuses to see me completely I had WONDERFUL ADOPTED FAMILY. Thank God. They were my mum and dad just like Andrew said about his. Even though it was not a good ending it was great and im glad i found out. A) because i look like someone😊 and B) because i know the truth. She wasnt a youngster, she was in mid 20s had already had another child by another man....her sister who i met hasnt seen her in 65 years because my 'mother' had an affair with her husband. That side of the family know nothing of the other side and are lovely. Its actually nice to know the truth and i can honestly say having such wonderful adopted parents neans i was honestly not upset at all. Shes the one with the problem not me 😊
A nice man really! He and Angela Levin in the same boat degrading and lying on others. God doesn't like ulgy and he ain't to keen about pretty either. Andrew need to check his integrity at the door. 🤔🤔.
When I was growing up all I heard were the stories about how women were forced to give up their children and always care about them, but I'd never heard of stories like mine where my birth mother had lots of children by different men she didn't care about, and didn't care about me when I found her. She even tried to blackmail me to give her info about my biological father in return for having contact with me.
I was adopted as a baby , I traced my natural mother and she didn’t want to know , rejected again 😢 I was adopted by middle class educated parents , financially we were lucky but there were mental health issues in my adopted family. I have the most wonderful sister who is also adopted. My natural mother was never my real mother though
Sounds like that lady, his real mother and learned to shut down. A hard decision, and sounded like a painful one for her. It's so sad that people that in those days having a child out of wedlock was frowned upon. But honestly, people and happiness are so much more important. Hopefully our minds are larger now, so that we except without judgement. But this man had such lovely parents and a good life. So his real mother gave such a gift to the adoptive parents. Some things are meant to be. What a lovely man too.x 🌸☀️🌸
Surely his “real” mother was the woman who raised him? The “birth” mother you mean not the “real” mother. That title is reserved for the woman who mothered!
I met my birth father who left me and my mum when I was 6 weeks old at 18. Him and his family were in my life ( although I found him very awkward) until I had a child at 21. My birth father then went really weird and distanced himself, his wife said he was finding seeing my baby hard . I didn’t arrange any meet ups and decided to see if him and his family would. They didn’t. Over the years I’ve wondered about making contact again, particularly with my half sister and brother but I just can’t bear to go through feeling not wanted a third time so feel it’s easier to just leave it
I am so glad he has come forward and said this. Dispite the stuff on long lost families for most of us who trace our birth family it is not always a happy ending. Often the birth mother has had to move on and may want no contact with the child. Even when people do get together there is no shared history just genetic link. Well done Andrew, many of us will feel less rejected now !
I think poor Margaret loved him and visited him for over two years in the orphanage so there was probably something besides having him out of wedlock that was giving her a lot of guilt. I don’t think she really rejected him because she agreed to meet him but she looked very old in that photograph and he respected her faith and attended her funeral. I think it’s quite a lovely ending although sad.
As a a social worker I helped trace many birth parents on behalf of their biological children Some were successful and a happy ending Many reunions like Andrew's were a heartache and a disappointment The parents of these children had a variety of reasons for giving up their babies some coerced and some that made a rational choice under their circumstances Perhaps many lived with unacknowledged grief they did not face However to be confronted by the child that was given up or taken from them after many years conjures up forgotten or half forgotten felling's of regret or anger that they were not able to keep their child However for some biological parents giving up their child was a conscious decision that made sense at the time and they do not wish to relive it or explain themselves
I think everyone who has been given up by mothers thinks that when they are reunited with their mothers they will find a warm living story about why they were given up but sadly this is not true far too often.
I have never felt a need to reach out to my biological parents, particularly my biological mother, except to say, "Thank You". I was adopted by the most amazing parents with an extended family who never, ever treated me as different. My only desire would be to have a picture of a family member I look like, but that's not a necessity. I would never encourage anyone to do what this man did. You risk opening secrets that may have been hidden away for good reason.
My mom was about 2 when she was left in a church in NYC, 1929. She spent about 3yrs in an orphanage. She'd be adopted by a wonderful couple; who had lost their daughter due to scarlet fever. I did DNA testing, but no luck finding anybody, as of yet.! Wish I had the funds to hire a professional😢 She'd silently cry if we watched a TV show about abandoned / adopted kids. I would love to learn the truth.
@@amys5669 Yes she loved him otherwise she wouldn't have visited him in the orphanage. Am sure knowing that makes him feel good she did that. Maybe his half siblings will get in touch now. Am glad Andrew as able to go to her funeral, that was completing the story for him.
My daughter was taken from me when I was a teenager. I never signed anything and married her birth father. We tried to get her back but,the courts would not take her from the wealthy family who had her. The records were finally unsealed when she was 24 and I tried for the next decade to establish a relationship with her but she doesn’t want it. My other two children were excited to meet her but that hasn’t worked out either. I have cried until my heart hurt so much it was effecting my health. I finally had to realise it’s her choice and I have to respect it. I also had to accept that she is not my daughter. She had two full blood siblings until my youngest daughter was killed in a car accident a few years after meeting her. And now my son wants nothing to do with her because he sees how much it hurts me. I am grateful for my son and hopefully she will know there is room for more love if she can find a way to allow it.
Her adopted parents may have told your daughter derragatory lies about you and why you gave her up. They may have been afraid they would lose her since you and your husband wanted her and made a home she could thrive in. Your daughter may inaccurately think you are not a good person in some way. Or she may feel that a relationship with you and her biological father might be a threat to her relationship with her adopted parents. Perhaps one day she will have an opportunity to hear the truth that she was taken from you and you tried to get her back; and maybe she'll recognize that there is room in her life for her biological parents and her adoptive parents.
Where are you getting any of that from??? You have no idea of the facts of that situation you’re just surmising in a TH-cam comments section!!! Please keep your imaginings to yourself 😂
I found my bio fathers family after 55 years of searching. They wanted nothing to do with me. Wouldn't even tell me which brother was my father. I always knew they wouldn't want me. Thankfully my sister's story was much better.
Oh that is so sad. I feel for you.. The brothers bonded together. Am glad you have your sister. God Bless and leave those men to wallow in their old age. You sound lovely and they are not worthy of you.
My son was adopted when he was three and a half .It,s a long story ,but I was forty two ,when I had my son .It was on Doctors advice ,as they said he need to be in a family .I was beyond heart broken .We met again in 2018 ,we gad both been lookinf for one another ,although I had letters and photos of him until he was fifteen . I was beyond happy when I meet him ,but I knew that he wouldn,t want to see me again .I tried to jeep in touch ,but within three weeks ,he started to ask me for money .Thus went on for about six months ,when ge started to say things then say he didn t say them ,he would just say ,your convused .He didn t ask one question about his birth family ,it was all anout money ..We had a terrible row ,and haven t spoken since .It seems the person I have loved the mist in my life ,didn,t love me .Sorry about the spelling .trouble with my tablet .
Am glad you got to meet him that is the important thing. Maybe its just as well you didn't know him earlier as he does not sound like he has empathy for anyone. This money issue is not right. I hope you made a will and left him out of it. God Bless and enjoy your life now. He doesn't deserve you.
Than you for your kind words .All I wanted was to see my son again .I was seventy one ,when we met up again ,which was six years ago .He had always been in my will ,but he has blocked me now ,so it is his loss .After eight weeks of meeting him ,he wanted me to be a guranto for him .He could have taken out a lot of money ,and left me to try and pay it back .@@bettymermaid8346
Brought tears to my eyes. Bless his heart ♥️ I hope that he is able to have a bit of a relationship with his siblings. I want to read his book. Always enjoy him on his TV show.
Aww Andrew your such a lovely person, I always watch you on tv but this is the best bits of you here, I'm glad you found your mum, pity she didn't ask about you, but yes could be guilt. Watching this clip of you has brought tears to my eyes I'm sure you have had your moments too, deep down I'm sure your mum was very proud of you even though she maybe didn't show it or tell you.❤
I felt so guilty for giving my daughter up for adoption (I was only fifteen and didn’t think I would be a good enough mother at that age) ) that when she was old enough I contacted a lawyer in Michigan to find her. And when he found her she agreed to meet with me - but it seemed she was disappointed in me and we just never bonded. We no longer keep in contact. I am just glad she turned out OK - I have closure.
I am in the United States and each state has criteria and laws about adoptive children trying to find their birth parents. I was in Tennessee and for the longest time we could only get non-identifying information. After a number of years trying, the state opened up their records. In 2001 I found three sisters and a brother but my brother passed away before I got to meet him. It is a life changing Experience for sure and I found both birth parents!
5/23/24: so sorry. I’m adopted and waited to search when I thought my birth parents might be gone. They were. I have a good relationship with half sisters on each side.
I connected with my Daughter on Xmas day, I have tried and tried over 25 years to do so and on Xmas eve I sent one more message to her (she was taken to Austrailia with her mom against my wishes when she was 2 1/2) and I thought I cant go on spending time wishing this would happen and on Xmas day just gone 2023 she replied and virtually every day since we have been in touch via socail media, its the most beautiful thing for me, I dont think we will ever meet but in so overwhelmed with just being in contat if nothing else I am happy with that.
I have psychotherapy atm as my Dad is a narcissist and its so painful when you release it all, but a lot of people have these issues and we have to work through these to be healed
very interesting, i had a very similar story - also born in Catholic environment in a mission station in Cala, rural Eastern Cape, South Africa in the early 60's. I traced my birth Mother in 1995 and this was really the most worthwhile i ever did, meeting my birth Mother really did put some pieces in place, i was 35 at the time. So i really recommend that anyone who knows they were adopted should do this and don't waste any time procrastinating - time runs out so quickly...and don't worry about the consequences or the outcome, whatever this is, you will benefit hugely!
When he said the mother didn't ask him about himself but wanted to tell him all about her life I thought, " high narcissism". We have a number of those in my family to be sure.
@@dianakircher4565 Stop making excuses for women who mistreat their adult offspring. She a narc. No care or interest because her ego would be bruised to hear anything that would trigger her.
I haven't seen my daughter from my first marriage for many many years I ruined my first marriage and regret that I never tried to find her sooner I think about her all the time.
@@katjaxxx7353 shame on you! It must have been a terrible burden for her to give a child away, but dont dare call her names. She could have aborted him instead.
I think it's possible that his mother has guilt ,a degree of denial, and last but not least, a sense of inferiority, and a feeling of intimidation for her highly intelligent, accomplished son. It's probably just psychologically 'easier' for her to maintain her distance and the lifestyle she's been used to. I love Andrew.
Sadly I disagree with your comment "sense of inferiority" as his mother seemed a genuine person and based her decision on Sin which ruled her life. Do not think "inferiority" was ever on her mind which is a new educated phrase. Sometimes people should not be using derogatory terms. Am and Indian Catholic too and know why I make this comment.
@agnescraig......I think you may misunderstand what I mean. I think his birth mother may, rightly or wrongly, have a current day sense of inferiority/lack of confidence, due to her son's obvious great accomplishments etc and she may perhaps feel nervous and out of her depth. She shouldn't ofcourse, but I'm sure her mind is in turmoil about the whole scenario.
So touching Andrew and all those circumstances,as for me I was lucky I had two loving parents mum and dad but I disappointed them in certain ways later in life and now they're gone and I wish they could come back one more time and get to say to them that mum and dad iam sorry that didn't pay back all the love and dedication you showed me always yes i will take that regret with me to the end
In the 60's and of course before it was the end for 'fallen' women - no jobs, shunned and cut off from family, unable to get a job or somewhere to live all unbeleivable now. My parents faced the shame when I was born illegitimate and had to wait 3 months until they married. My mother's family refused to see me for 6 months. Harsh yes but that was the way it was thank goodness times have changed
My mother a little Irish Colleen ,left Northern Ireland and went to the Sister's of Nazareth in Cheltenham , she didn't stay there ,leaving to have me in Bristol, where I was put up for adoption by the nuns at the Catholic Children's Society My adoption was wonderful ,my Mum and Dad gave me a warm loving family life and a privileged education. My school,a convent, was set in beautiful grounds,nuns would teach us, and they were very strict.I remember an occasion where we had the chance to become penpals with school children in Ireland I had started writing to a girl my age in a Catholic school,a convent,,and all my letters were intercepted by the nuns as i assume hers were and I was told I couldn't write to her anymore, just like that !! There was so much secrecy around , and no body answering my questions, no explanations made,it was a case of,,well when the nuns spoke you didn't question anything ! My pen pals surname was Connelly
They were the ones finding babies and opening orphanages actually, in most cultures, you just left them to die, if they were sickly, if they they were illegitimate you left them outside and waited for them to starve.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
I met my birthmother when i was 34. One of the first things she said was if she had the opportunity to abort me she would have. I said back at ya. Too bad for her i had two beautiful children and five grandchildren that she never wanted to know. There are reasons why some people aren't worthy of having children. She was one of them..
Your two children and your five grandchildren are blessed to not have that person in their lives . You know the truth and can move forward and leave her in the murk behind .
That's sad , but maybe a blessing in disguise, who would want a parent with those thoughts
You are so fortunate that you were adopted, what a vicious comment she made
Horrific thing to say, glad you were cared for by someone else, with your children and grandchildren.
What a thing to say to a living person. Delia Morris
My married birth parents relinquished me in the early 1970's. The only time I spoke to my birth mother she said they would stand at the door (of my bedroom) and say 'she is not for us'. She went on to have another 4 children which she 'kept'. I managed to contact her in my 30's and she also didn't want to know me. Tbh, at that time she was promised that I would never be able to find her - at a time before the internet. I have no personality before this neglect/abandonment, there was no me before the trauma of being discarded - for no reason. They both had jobs, she had a little car, had a house, etc, etc. But, none the less, I have created a good and happy life for myself with the love of my adopted father and grandparents who doted on me, and with my husband and sons who love me very much.
💖💖💖
I suppose you can count yourself lucky that you weren't one of the four she kept, because in all honesty, the woman sounds like she has serious issues, and being brought up by someone like that destroys you in ways you can only imagine.
@@leaveittothediva Yes, I agree. Whilst I was being adopted/relinquished, my mother was actually pregnant with my full sister (which is unfathomable to me), she was one of the children they kept. By a chance in a million I had contact with this full sibling very briefly on FB and by all accounts she did not fare so well.
@@ClaireMitchell-n6y God love you, that's terrible. But believe me, it's something that doesn't surprise me one bit.
@@leaveittothediva Thank you for listening to me. All the best.x
What a beautiful soul you are. I gave up my son for adoption. I was 17 and my parents were going to throw me out of their house if I kept my son. I tried to rebel. But found that I couldn't even get a car or a job or rent anything to live in. I put him up for adoption. Hard to do. And when he turned 18, I did all I could do to find him. But where I lived, adoption is still looked at as shameful and we were foolishly kept from each other by the law. I then took a dna test as I wanted to know more about my family. All the secrets they kept. First thing I find is that I have a grand daughter. She and I connected. and she gave me my son's information. I contacted me and he was awful to me. So I apologized to him for bothering him. A month or so later, he contacted me and apologized. He was angry because his parents did not tell him he was adopted and he felt he was lied to. They meant no harm. They are older and religious and believed he would be harmed by some harlot who gave birth to him. We are now very connected. He has two little darling girls. I only get to see them on video calls as I live in Italy now and they are in the states. I love how his family raised him. He is good and kind and gentle. I love his wife and my grandchildren. I hope one day to actually meet. I can't just jump on a plane because I am fighting cancer at the moment and they are not wealthy. But my ability to fight hard with my illness is based on the love I receive from them. Mine has ended well.
You too are a beautiful soul. I hope you meet your son and that you beat cancer! ♥
Kathaerine, I wish you every continued success in your life. You sound lovely and I am glad you have made the connection you have with your son and grandkids albeit at arms length. Ask, belive and recive. Visualise your remission. Visualise your meeting up in person happily. I wish you well. Truly. I also wish your son and his family happiness too.
Glad you were able to find your son in your lifetime. A Gift it is.
Alison Hammond has been chosen because of diversity, no such thing now as a white slim educated British man.
Thank you for your sacrifice of giving birth to your son and giving him a chance at life. My son is adopted and I’m grateful to his birth mother every day. He found his bio family but his mother didn’t want a relationship (I think she was ashamed though she didn’t need to be) but he does have one with his siblings. She died last year but she died knowing he turned out well.
I adopted my son from my sister 28 years ago she had family problems and she couldn't cope he's the youngest of 7 in 28 years he's never received anything from her. He's autistic and has severe mental health issues but I wouldn't change him for the world he's mine
God bless you.
God bless you❤️🙏🏽
What a blessing you are to each other.
You're a true gem ❤
6/22/24: Yes, God bless you for being there for your son who needed you.
I met my birth mother when i was 55 and she was 71. She was a waste of my time and refused to introduce me to her 5 other children of whom she raised. She claims she can't remember my biological fathers name. 😢 i feel like some of us are better off not knowing thier birth parents.
To lynn: You are a far better person than she is. I am so, so sorry that she treated you like that. Don't let her define who you are.
❤❤❤
I’m sorry you were treated that way. It had nothing to do with you it’s all about her mess and it’s her loss
She's probably lying about your father. Try finding him.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m curious if you tried to introduce yourself to them and how they reacted?
very true i have a similar story
We adopted our son as an infant. You’d be surprised how many birth mothers are actually on the older side. A lot of them are just making mature and rational decisions to put their baby first and give them the best life possible. Our birth mother is our hero & our son knows that. I’ll never have a bad word to say about her.
God Bless!
Precious Love.
Thank you for pointing out that this is a loving act regardless of the birth-mother's intentions.
Thank you
My husband met his biological cousins a couple of years ago after nearly 50 years of searching. His mother had already passed. His parents married after he was adopted and had a daughter. My husband spoke via phone to his father who denied his existence (and it’s possible he may never have known). His full blood sister knows of him and wants nothing to do with him. Thankfully though, his beautiful cousins and their spouses have welcomed him literally with open arms and adore him. There’s so much more to the story, but my gratitude firstly goes to his mother for choosing to give birth to him, his adoptive parents who raised this beautiful man, and to his cousins who’ve helped him feel complete.
My birth Son found me about 4 yrs ago through DNA - What a gift! - I never thought I would get to know him (records were sealed) - But we are so close now - He is a full part of our family now,, as is his adoptive Mom - I feel so badly for the people who search for their birth parents and don’t receive the loving welcome they deserve - what a blessing to finally get to hug the child I couldn’t keep and tell him I love him - He tells me he loves me too!!!💕
Wonderful. So happy for you both.
So many different stories of what might have happened….I was forced by my parents to give up my son. I finally found him, 32 years after giving him up. We’ve now had a close relationship for almost 15 years. He thankfully, also had wonderful adoptive parents, whom I credit with rising him to become a wonderful man he became. We all consider ourselves very blessed to have each other in our lives. Honestly, I’ve never gotten over the loss of my son. Every story is unique and different and many very, very sad.
My mum was the same, we met the child that was adopted several years ago now and it all went to well, I’m so happy for both my mum and her.
That’s extremely sad your parents forced you to give up your son. How traumatic 😢 and unfair. I’m sorry you have experienced that pain. I’m adopted and my birth ‘mom’ is awful. I had hoped she’d be someone kind like you. Your son is lucky to know you. ❤
So sorry you were forced by your parents to give up your son, that's dreadful
I can relate to Andrew’s story. I too was adopted and never thought I’d find my birth family in my lifetime, age 70+ now. I found a half brother through a DNA test and then a half sister 2 1/2 yrs older than me. My birth mother had 4 children to 4 different men and died at age 44. All bar one of her children were either adopted, fostered, or give to the maternal grandmother to raise. I’m in contact with my 2 birth half siblings, although we haven’t met face to face yet. I was the lucky one, like Andrew, I was adopted into a loving family.
I'm so sorry he was rejected by his birth mother. i was reunited with my son after 35 years and it has been the greatest blessing in my life. I met my son'e adoptive parents and we all get along. There is no jealousy. As my son says, there is no limit to love. It can expand to embrace everyone.
'There is no limit to love' .. Thankyou, i will try to remember that
As the 6th of 7, when I asked mom how She divided her live amongst us. She said Love doesn’t divide, it multiplies.
Adoptions can be open from the start, which is much more common now. That unlimited love, as you describe. Adoptions used to be closed & secretive, but that doesn't have to be the way are handled.
What role models you are!
So many mothers still desperate to rekindle their babies 🕯🕯🕯🙏🙏🙏🙏💐💐💐🌺
Thank goodness for his Mum and Dad who adopted him, they sound wonderful 😊
Yes his adoptive parents must have been wonderful
Adoption is amazing. Can you imagine how unfortunate his life would’ve been if he were raised by his single mother? No father, no family unit. Children have a right to grow up in a family unit and adoption does just that.
He should have been happy with that.
What a moving story. I always liked Andrew Pierce as a public figure, but listening to him now I like him ten times more. What a kind, understanding man. So much empathy, so forgiving, and a heart filled with so much gratitude. I raise my hat to him. I hope his book is a resounding success.
Lovely man. Mx
Course you do 😂😂
I can appreciate his story but he is a horrible person and this story doesn't change that
Is it really nice it hasn't got care and compassion only for himself he was obviously adopted by very rich people who brought him up to be the snob he is now if you listen to anything he's saying for most things he says it's not about helping poor people it's like stamping on them never got a good word for anybody who is not a tory I feel sorry for him yes because that must have been quite awful for him I think lot of people would
have a made out I didn't know him as well
@@JayneDay-u8d Thank you for that info. People assume that just because a person has a posh-sounding accent they were born wealthy. If he is a Tory, he's got a right to his opinion and shouldn't be deplored for it, as some comments here have shown. Very sad. I believe what makes a person is how he behaves in life and this man has shown he comes from a good place.
My spouse was raised by a family, not his biological parents. When we found his mother, she refused any talk of her past or my spouses father. We wanted to know if there were health concerns. We discovered there was a twin to my husband (!!!) and another sister, also all given up. Unfortunately, all 3 children given up had horrible, abusive upbringings. The good thing is, though, all 3 children have met since and are wonderful parents to their children.
What a sad read 😔
So nice to hear they have a had loving families of their own❤
Andrew, you are amazing for the way you have accepted and handled this reunion and that definitely is due to your parents who raised you. They sound amazing! I am a triplet, born in the midlands post war (five older siblings born within an eleven year period). I was separated from them all at the age of just over six. They had been moved out of London sometime during the war. My father, born in London and lived in Kensington, had never really had to bear financial responsibility for a growing family left home sometime after we were born. He never sent money home to support us and everyone at that time was financially destitute. My mother gave me to another family when my triplet brothers and I were just over six (never, ever having been separated before). That was hard and affected us all. I grew up understanding the reason why she did what she did. Fortunately, we were reunited 25 years later (at the age of around 31) and the connection was immediate (with all my siblings). It was virtually the first time my siblings were reunited under one roof in all that time. When I was separated, my oldest sister fought desperately to keep me with them (she was only 15 at the time and I thought she was an adult). There has always been that missing piece (even after reconnecting); however, I have always felt that it made me more empathetic about others. I am 76 now and live in a different country and we are all (the remaining living siblings and families) very close so we have been very lucky in that respect. My parents were Catholic too. Thank you for sharing your story.
i feel enormous sadness that you triplets were separated and for so long. What was the world thinking in that time?
At least he found her I’m sorry he didn’t get all the answers he wanted . I am thankful he had good parents that adopted him.
Sadly this was quite a problem during the war and the women took their secrets to the grave because of societal pressure. Very sad I personally know of two such women.
Very sad , but most are happy .
He could probably confirm who his birth father was by doing the Ancestry DNA test for £80.
Adoption is wonderful. Can you imagine the life of poverty and frustration he would’ve had being raised by a single mother? Adoption gives children a chance at a decent life with a mother and a father who want them. Another happy ending
I'm an orphan a mother Margaret I searched birth links helping I got my baby records
"It's my punishment." Yep, that quick-triggered tears here. Blessings to all, especially the wonderful couple who'd made Andrew their own.
Adoption is a blessing in disguise in some cases but not every
O@@becky1993x
Brilliant story.
She was a special person who did the right thing for him
What a lovely son to have ❤
To Betty & George! You raised an amazing soul in Andrew! We watch him from down under snd appreciate his work x what a brilliant book this is going to be !
I was put into private foster care when I was 4. My mother and step father had 3 other children who were all diagnosed as being paranoid schizophrenics. Of course I wondered why I was given up and they were retained. My mother said that she felt I could take care of myself and that the other children needed a lot of care. My grandmother found out where I was and took me out of foster care when I was 7 and raised me. My mother said that granny wanted me ... this was fortunate for me, but I still wondered why my mother didn't want me. Later I found my father's family and two wonderful half-siblings. I then made peace with my mother and was able to take care of her when she was terminally ill. I became very close to her during the year when she was dying and I forgave her for giving me up.
I found both my birth parents, no longer together. Neither would meet me. I found that I have half siblings, but I’m still searching for them. These people aren’t my real parents, my adoptive parents are my real parents
5/23/24: Your last few words nailed it. My story is similar. My lovely adoptive parents ARE my parents. Best wishes!
Leave it now, trust me
Just let it go my sister kept digging looking while I was just content to leave it alone. She found her and it turned out to be a nightmare sometimes it’s best to just let it go and protect the life and people that actually brought you up and supported you all these years.
@@daus6035Pardon me, but unless you’re an adoptee, you really have no place telling an adoptee what they should do. Adoption is a trauma and a loss, and we deserve to have a chance at seeing if we can finally meet our family of origin. Even if some stories are sad ones, and even if ours turn out to be.
why then you are still looking,you cannot give up.
my sister had a child at 16 and was forced to give him up she always hoped to contact him when the laws changed she was told by the social workers they had the information and would contact him to see if he was interested in knowing her. He was not so she was glad to hear he was well but sad after so much hope.
Exactly these programmes only focus on positive cases which are quite rare
@@joannegregory3024 for my sister she did not get to meet him but she found out he was doing very well she was told he was a very successful business man and was married with 3 children so she was so happy to hear that.
Very sad but he may well change his mind as he gets older . Hope so for your sister's sake .
@@mjones4083 she passed away but she was so happy to hear he was doing well I remember she was 16 and I was 14 she would ask me to hitchhike in the freezing cold of winter to go visit him she was allowed to do that for a year she had to have an adult sign for him to keep him nobody would do it.
There are real issues with children being adopted. AP has a "pro-adoption" story that centers his birthmother as bad and his adoptive parents as fabulous. This is one instance of a successful adoption placement. It doesn't take into account that most adoptees feel a tremendous sense of loss of identity and psychological issues from being separated from their birth mother. Society is responsible for the shame (he is older) surrounding illegitimate births/single mothers and the fact that the biological father gets to skip off without a care in the world. Despite AP's unhappy reunion with his birthmother, he still searched for her so he obviously wasn't a hundred percent fine with just being grafted onto his adoptive family's tree and wholly assuming their identity and history.
I found my birth mum and she didn't want to have anything to do w me but it gave me a sense of my history and roots. It did make me appreciate my adoptive parents more
Oh Andrew, you’re such a lovely man. I’m so sorry you didn’t find the answers you wanted but celebrate the fact you had a happy upbringing with such loving parents. I just want to send you a big hug
He’s not a lovely man sadly, his politics are callous and selfish, like every Tory. He deserved some answers from his Mother though.
Still a lovely man
@@FannyShmellar A person can be a lovely man even if his policies are not what you like. YOU are not the decider of the politics of "lovely men."
@@cathynewyork7918 You can’t be a lovely man yet think it’s correct to vilify and demonise those suffering most in society and also think it’s right to protect the very wealthiest in society in order that they get richer. He’s an awful person in general, the way he goes after people is despicable. No, he’s not a lovely man.
@@FannyShmellar Many people in society "who suffer most" failed to get an education and a good job - that is NOT Andrew's fault.
I adopted a child who I love with all my heart. Yet he is now estranged from me. I would be only too happy if his own birth mother embraced him but she didn't. For some reason this rejection affected my son who blames me. I'd do anything for his happiness and our reconciliation.
He has lost trust in humanity.
It's a primal wound.
Rejection by his birth mother probably left him feeling unloved and unable to trust your love.
I hope you can let him know you will always be there for him, whenever he's ready to talk.
Tell him just how amazing he is and seek professional help from adoption counselling.
God bless you
He's angry, confused and you are the person he loves most, so he takes it out on you because he knows you won't hurt him. Please be patient with him and as another poster suggested, get some counseling to help you death with in a healthy way. When your son has battled his own demons, he knows you'll be there to bandage his wounds. ❤
Sending you both healing and prayers❤️🙏🏽
I hve a similar story .i am sorry for us both and for our children who miss out on our closeness.
I’m an adopted adult. The teenager who gave birth to me thought more of me to give me a better life than a 16 year old could. My mother and father are and always will be my PARENTS. The fairy tale of “what might have been: is just that - a fairy tale. Adoption has been made to be a horrible thing. It isn’t. It is the most selfless thing a woman can do. So many children today have been raised by teenagers and live with the scars of that when they would have been better off being brought up by a mother and father.
But the facts are you don't know where they are going. So you could be setting them up for a horific life. Selfless ? No,utterly selfish.
@@faydoveeasy to be so critical sitting here in 2024, but in the 1950s and 1960s it was a different story.
bmbutler: Perhaps. But those of us born before 1970--there was such thing as forced adoption, so it had nothing to do with the birth mother doing the best thing. It was forced, babies removed from the room the minute they were delivered. And then, people automatically assume that adoptive parents are all wonderful people. Some adoptive parents can be horrible so much that we break all contact with them!
Well said 👏
@@rrickarrTwo I know of were adopted to mend marriages, but it didn't work.
After I had my own child, I was finally brave enough to 'look' for my birth mother. I discovered I grew up in the same village as my birth mother and never knew it. She was the best friend of my adoptive mother. Sadly she had died. Age 70 I found my half brother. We had gone to the same school and youth club! We got to know each other in the two years before he died. My father is still unknown to me. He was an American GI and probably died on the beaches in Normandy around D-Day.
Don’t give up. If you do a commercial dna test like 23 & Me or Ancestry there will be a chance others in your father’s extended family will have also have in the States. It could very well lead to identifying him. Best wishes to you.
As above said, definitely don’t give up and take DNA. You will probably find some of the extended family members at least
I like to believe my Father was an American GI,,I do know that there was an American Army Base in County Armagh Northern Ireland ,where my birth Mother is from
My Irish husband went through the same thing!! Born in an orphanage in Waterford Ireland. The story of his situation and how it played out over the years is extremely questionable and unfortunate yet he has thrived through the many painful events that occurred.
What a good man he is. Many would be angry and he gives her grace and peace. Great show.
Yes, I would be angry. Andrew is much kinder than most people.
Yes, I’d be angry. Andrew is much kinder than most people.
Andrew is such a lovely gentle man. I always love listening to him. His adoptive parents did an amazing job looking after him and helping him turn into such a wonderful human being. God bless you Andrew ❤
No he is not!
I’m a birth mom who has been reunited with my son for 12 years.
He is my son. We have family portraits together.
He is a part of my life and my family’s. He has a relationship with his siblings. More so now that that are older.
I’m glad I placed him, because his biological father and I would had made his life miserable. I’m glad he’s in my life and I have him back.
My birth mother didn’t want to know me, that’s their choice, I guess they had their reasons in the first place, my adopted parents were fabulous, generous and loving who could ask for more, I loved them both very much and they were mine ❤
I am proud of any mom who keeps their baby, goes through full term and delivers a healthy gift from God. IF that baby is given to another family to raise, then it is all beautiful. Brave mom.
And yet, obviously, you DID ask for more. Curiosity unalived the cat so it’s lucky you weren’t born feline.
I have wondered if my Dad is my 'biological Dad' but he had me at 18 and I don't think they'd have let an 18 year old adopt 😂
@@allesasmart
I am proud of all women who every day make tough decisions....!!
Whatever choice they make...
Not everyone is as maternal as I was blessed to be.....
So many women face so many challenges...
Just try not to be a Drug Addict or an Alcoholic because it wrecks lives.....
💖
Your adoptive parents were/are your real parents
I am happy for Andrew. He had great adoptive parents. He was on a mission to find his birth mother. He doesn't sound bitter about the birth mother's reaction. It is a sad story.
There was a big documentary about this just recently. The women were made to feel so bad about having the child that they saw the child as 'sin itself' and the church encouraged them to reject the child. Imagine. So much pain could have been avoided if these heartless, ruthless people hadn't been in charge of people's lives and given so much power.
Almost identical thing happened to me. I also went to school run by Sisters of Nazareth. My daughter did Ancestry and didnt tell me
My natural mother is still alive, has huge family, my father told their children all about me on his deathbed. They never knew a thing, she says she HATES ME but i doubt that. Refuses to see me completely I had WONDERFUL ADOPTED FAMILY. Thank God. They were my mum and dad just like Andrew said about his.
Even though it was not a good ending it was great and im glad i found out. A) because i look like someone😊 and B) because i know the truth. She wasnt a youngster, she was in mid 20s had already had another child by another man....her sister who i met hasnt seen her in 65 years because my 'mother' had an affair with her husband. That side of the family know nothing of the other side and are lovely.
Its actually nice to know the truth and i can honestly say having such wonderful adopted parents neans i was honestly not upset at all. Shes the one with the problem not me 😊
The blessing of being adopted is you were wanted and selected, that's a blessing.
Such a nice man your adoptive parents did a wonderful job.
He promoted the 💉
A nice man really! He and Angela Levin in the same boat degrading and lying on others. God doesn't like ulgy and he ain't to keen about pretty either. Andrew need to check his integrity at the door. 🤔🤔.
@@Blaze23557Thanks, I didn't know that.
@@Blaze23557 He promoted the...
I'm sorry I don't understand.
@@gerardk51 the jab
How lucky his parents were to get him.what a gem of a man.
Andrew you have a gentle soul.
Who could not be proud to find out Andrew was their son.🌺
🤣
Wow! Such cutting sarcasm! 😂😂
Me
Me.
Me, I’d be horrified to have produced such a toxic individual.
Sounds like a blessing you were adopted ♡
So pleased she changed her mind and agreed to meet him.
When I was growing up all I heard were the stories about how women were forced to give up their children and always care about them, but I'd never heard of stories like mine where my birth mother had lots of children by different men she didn't care about, and didn't care about me when I found her. She even tried to blackmail me to give her info about my biological father in return for having contact with me.
I was adopted as a baby , I traced my natural mother and she didn’t want to know , rejected again 😢
I was adopted by middle class educated parents , financially we were lucky but there were mental health issues in my adopted family.
I have the most wonderful sister who is also adopted.
My natural mother was never my real mother though
Sounds like that lady, his real mother and learned to shut down. A hard decision, and sounded like a painful one for her. It's so sad that people that in those days having a child out of wedlock was frowned upon. But honestly, people and happiness are so much more important. Hopefully our minds are larger now, so that we except without judgement. But this man had such lovely parents and a good life. So his real mother gave such a gift to the adoptive parents. Some things are meant to be. What a lovely man too.x 🌸☀️🌸
Surely his “real” mother was the woman who raised him? The “birth” mother you mean not the “real” mother. That title is reserved for the woman who mothered!
I met my birth father who left me and my mum when I was 6 weeks old at 18. Him and his family were in my life ( although I found him very awkward) until I had a child at 21. My birth father then went really weird and distanced himself, his wife said he was finding seeing my baby hard . I didn’t arrange any meet ups and decided to see if him and his family would. They didn’t. Over the years I’ve wondered about making contact again, particularly with my half sister and brother but I just can’t bear to go through feeling not wanted a third time so feel it’s easier to just leave it
A wise decision. Their loss
I am so glad he has come forward and said this. Dispite the stuff on long lost families for most of us who trace our birth family it is not always a happy ending. Often the birth mother has had to move on and may want no contact with the child. Even when people do get together there is no shared history just genetic link. Well done Andrew, many of us will feel less rejected now !
A lovely story. He was lucky to have such good parents. I like him and he appreciated his parents.
He was very lucky to have been adopted by loving parents. Look how he turned out. So well spoken and talented.
I think poor Margaret loved him and visited him for over two years in the orphanage so there was probably something besides having him out of wedlock that was giving her a lot of guilt. I don’t think she really rejected him because she agreed to meet him but she looked very old in that photograph and he respected her faith and attended her funeral. I think it’s quite a lovely ending although sad.
Your adoptive parents chose you ❤❤❤❤💯❣️
As a a social worker I helped trace many birth parents on behalf of their biological children Some were successful and a happy ending Many reunions like Andrew's were a heartache and a disappointment The parents of these children had a variety of reasons for giving up their babies some coerced and some that made a rational choice under their circumstances Perhaps many lived with unacknowledged grief they did not face However to be confronted by the child that was given up or taken from them after many years conjures up forgotten or half forgotten felling's of regret or anger that they were not able to keep their child However for some biological parents giving up their child was a conscious decision that made sense at the time and they do not wish to relive it or explain themselves
I think your comment is very accurately put.
I think everyone who has been given up by mothers thinks that when they are reunited with their mothers they will find a warm living story about why they were given up but sadly this is not true far too often.
why you need to find the one who trow you away respect to the people who give support and love u not the one who abandon u
What a lovely human being Andrew is.
I have never felt a need to reach out to my biological parents, particularly my biological mother, except to say, "Thank You". I was adopted by the most amazing parents with an extended family who never, ever treated me as different. My only desire would be to have a picture of a family member I look like, but that's not a necessity.
I would never encourage anyone to do what this man did. You risk opening secrets that may have been hidden away for good reason.
My mom was about 2 when she was left in a church in NYC, 1929. She spent about 3yrs in an orphanage. She'd be adopted by a wonderful couple; who had lost their daughter due to scarlet fever. I did DNA testing, but no luck finding anybody, as of yet.! Wish I had the funds to hire a professional😢 She'd silently cry if we watched a TV show about abandoned / adopted kids. I would love to learn the truth.
I am so pleased you had a lovely upbringing.
He is not alone. Lots of mothers don’t want their children. He is lucky he found someone to love him.
She visited him for 2 and a half years in the orphanage. There is more to her story she chose not to share.
@@amys5669 Yes she loved him otherwise she wouldn't have visited him in the orphanage. Am sure knowing that makes him feel good she did that. Maybe his half siblings will get in touch now. Am glad Andrew as able to go to her funeral, that was completing the story for him.
My daughter was taken from me when I was a teenager. I never signed anything and married her birth father. We tried to get her back but,the courts would not take her from the wealthy family who had her. The records were finally unsealed when she was 24 and I tried for the next decade to establish a relationship with her but she doesn’t want it. My other two children were excited to meet her but that hasn’t worked out either. I have cried until my heart hurt so much it was effecting my health. I finally had to realise it’s her choice and I have to respect it. I also had to accept that she is not my daughter. She had two full blood siblings until my youngest daughter was killed in a car accident a few years after meeting her. And now my son wants nothing to do with her because he sees how much it hurts me. I am grateful for my son and hopefully she will know there is room for more love if she can find a way to allow it.
Her adopted parents may have told your daughter derragatory lies about you and why you gave her up. They may have been afraid they would lose her since you and your husband wanted her and made a home she could thrive in. Your daughter may inaccurately think you are not a good person in some way. Or she may feel that a relationship with you and her biological father might be a threat to her relationship with her adopted parents. Perhaps one day she will have an opportunity to hear the truth that she was taken from you and you tried to get her back; and maybe she'll recognize that there is room in her life for her biological parents and her adoptive parents.
Where are you getting any of that from??? You have no idea of the facts of that situation you’re just surmising in a TH-cam comments section!!! Please keep your imaginings to yourself 😂
I searched and found my birth parents, what I found I didn't like. Can't stand them or my birth family I'm glad I was adopted and went to Australia.
Me too honey
I found my bio fathers family after 55 years of searching. They wanted nothing to do with me. Wouldn't even tell me which brother was my father. I always knew they wouldn't want me. Thankfully my sister's story was much better.
Oh that is so sad. I feel for you.. The brothers bonded together. Am glad you have your sister. God Bless and leave those men to wallow in their old age. You sound lovely and they are not worthy of you.
Sounds like you’re better off without them
I love Andrew Pierce and this bought me to tears. Amanda Platell is a very special friend to have supported Andrew
Peace and Love to you , lovely man
My son was adopted when he was three and a half .It,s a long story ,but I was forty two ,when I had my son .It was on Doctors advice ,as they said he need to be in a family .I was beyond heart broken .We met again in 2018 ,we gad both been lookinf for one another ,although I had letters and photos of him until he was fifteen .
I was beyond happy when I meet him ,but I knew that he wouldn,t want to see me again .I tried to jeep in touch ,but within three weeks ,he started to ask me for money .Thus went on for about six months ,when ge started to say things then say he didn t say them ,he would just say ,your convused .He didn t ask one question about his birth family ,it was all anout money ..We had a terrible row ,and haven t spoken since .It seems the person I have loved the mist in my life ,didn,t love me .Sorry about the spelling .trouble with my tablet .
Am glad you got to meet him that is the important thing. Maybe its just as well you didn't know him earlier as he does not sound like he has empathy for anyone. This money issue is not right. I hope you made a will and left him out of it. God Bless and enjoy your life now. He doesn't deserve you.
Than you for your kind words .All I wanted was to see my son again .I was seventy one ,when we met up again ,which was six years ago .He had always been in my will ,but he has blocked me now ,so it is his loss .After eight weeks of meeting him ,he wanted me to be a guranto for him .He could have taken out a lot of money ,and left me to try and pay it back .@@bettymermaid8346
For years i have been a fan of Andrew. He made me laugh so often on what the papers say on sky uk. You are admired Andrew from the land down under.
I am glad you are you.
Andrew, what a wonderful man you are. I admire your compassion.
Bless You ANDREW.🙏🙏
I love this man , he speaks the truth on morning TV
Brought tears to my eyes. Bless his heart ♥️ I hope that he is able to have a bit of a relationship with his siblings. I want to read his book. Always enjoy him on his TV show.
Aww Andrew your such a lovely person, I always watch you on tv but this is the best bits of you here, I'm glad you found your mum, pity she didn't ask about you, but yes could be guilt. Watching this clip of you has brought tears to my eyes I'm sure you have had your moments too, deep down I'm sure your mum was very proud of you even though she maybe didn't show it or tell you.❤
Reminded me of the true story of “Philomena” made into a movie and starring Dame Judi Dench. Andrew’s story sounds like a book I’d like to read❣️
I felt so guilty for giving my daughter up for adoption (I was only fifteen and didn’t think I would be a good enough mother at that age) ) that when she was old enough I contacted a lawyer in Michigan to find her. And when he found her she agreed to meet with me - but it seemed she was disappointed in me and we just never bonded. We no longer keep in contact. I am just glad she turned out OK - I have closure.
I am in the United States and each state has criteria and laws about adoptive children trying to find their birth parents. I was in Tennessee and for the longest time we could only get non-identifying information. After a number of years trying, the state opened up their records. In 2001 I found three
sisters and a brother but my brother passed away before I got to meet him. It is a life changing
Experience for sure and I found both birth parents!
Thank God and his blessed mother he found her and they met. God is so good.
for so many people, when someone says something to the tune of "all mothers are special", what comes to their mind isn't what most people expect.
AHH, my goodness. I'm adopted, found my birth mother - she wanted nothing to do with me - broke my heart twice over! 😭
5/23/24: so sorry. I’m adopted and waited to search when I thought my birth parents might be gone. They were. I have a good relationship with half sisters on each side.
I connected with my Daughter on Xmas day, I have tried and tried over 25 years to do so and on Xmas eve I sent one more message to her (she was taken to Austrailia with her mom against my wishes when she was 2 1/2) and I thought I cant go on spending time wishing this would happen and on Xmas day just gone 2023 she replied and virtually every day since we have been in touch via socail media, its the most beautiful thing for me, I dont think we will ever meet but in so overwhelmed with just being in contat if nothing else I am happy with that.
I hope she can have the pleasure of meeting you sometime in the near future.
@@EmmaDee Thank you, I would really like that but we shall see.
What an extraordinary story and how understanding and forgiving Andrew is and what a credit to his adoptive parents
Absolutely 💯 Andrew is a credit to his adoptive family
Thank you Andrew. New lease on life ahead for you, for crossing this bridge and sharing this with us
I have psychotherapy atm as my Dad is a narcissist and its so painful when you release it all, but a lot of people have these issues and we have to work through these to be healed
very interesting, i had a very similar story - also born in Catholic environment in a mission station in Cala, rural Eastern Cape, South Africa in the early 60's. I traced my birth Mother in 1995 and this was really the most worthwhile i ever did, meeting my birth Mother really did put some pieces in place, i was 35 at the time. So i really recommend that anyone who knows they were adopted should do this and don't waste any time procrastinating - time runs out so quickly...and don't worry about the consequences or the outcome, whatever this is, you will benefit hugely!
Wonderful he solved his mystery❤
He’s a very lovely man has a nice way about him .
I agree Andrew. Betty and George dedication gives me goosebumps Thank you for sharing your story
When he said the mother didn't ask him about himself but wanted to tell him all about her life I thought, " high narcissism". We have a number of those in my family to be sure.
It’s not narcissistic personality disorder necessarily. Guilt, shame, denial are strong emotions.
@@dianakircher4565 Stop making excuses for women who mistreat their adult offspring. She a narc. No care or interest because her ego would be bruised to hear anything that would trigger her.
@@MsBox5 💯love your comment.
@@MsBox5you’re not a psychiatrist or a psychologist and therefore can’t diagnose.
My bm was the same.
I haven't seen my daughter from my first marriage for many many years I ruined my first marriage and regret that I never tried to find her sooner I think about her all the time.
Not every mother wants to be found. He is acting fine, but the twice rejection is brutal.
The mum is a coward bc she doesn’t want to deal with it
Life is not a Hallmark movie with a happy ending. Respcet the prvacy of the woman, since you dont know the circumstaqnces of the conception.
The truth of the conception could be much worst
@@katjaxxx7353 shame on you! It must have been a terrible burden for her to give a child away, but dont dare call her names. She could have aborted him instead.
@@katjaxxx7353 Please stop judging his Mum vent your venom on someone else. Those who liked your comments please read mine.
I think it's possible that his mother has guilt ,a degree of denial, and last but not least, a sense of inferiority, and a feeling of intimidation for her highly intelligent, accomplished son. It's probably just psychologically 'easier' for her to maintain her distance and the lifestyle she's been used to. I love Andrew.
Well thought/said
Well said. Possible his mom was raised in abuse and narcasist behaviors.
Sadly I disagree with your comment "sense of inferiority" as his mother seemed a genuine person and based her decision on Sin which ruled her life. Do not think "inferiority" was ever on her mind which is a new educated phrase. Sometimes people should not be using derogatory terms. Am and Indian Catholic too and know why I make this comment.
@@agnescraig2912 And your comment is welcomed. Andrew story on the show and therefore book is about starting open dialogs.
@agnescraig......I think you may misunderstand what I mean. I think his birth mother may, rightly or wrongly, have a current day sense of inferiority/lack of confidence, due to her son's obvious great accomplishments etc and she may perhaps feel nervous and out of her depth. She shouldn't ofcourse, but I'm sure her mind is in turmoil about the whole scenario.
Am in tears. A most moving narrative.
So touching Andrew and all those circumstances,as for me I was lucky I had two loving parents mum and dad but I disappointed them in certain ways later in life and now they're gone and I wish they could come back one more time and get to say to them that mum and dad iam sorry that didn't pay back all the love and dedication you showed me always yes i will take that regret with me to the end
Found my half siblings at age 68, quite by chance. Wonderful reunion so happy we contacted them.
Have been a big fan of Andrew as a commentator for some time, now I know why. Lovely, well spoken gentleman. What a story!
So courageous and inspirational. Much love to you Andrew from Upstate NY.
What a lovely man.
In the 60's and of course before it was the end for 'fallen' women - no jobs, shunned and cut off from family, unable to get a job or somewhere to live all unbeleivable now. My parents faced the shame when I was born illegitimate and had to wait 3 months until they married. My mother's family refused to see me for 6 months. Harsh yes but that was the way it was thank goodness times have changed
My mother a little Irish Colleen ,left Northern Ireland and went to the Sister's of Nazareth in Cheltenham , she didn't stay there ,leaving to have me in Bristol, where I was put up for adoption by the nuns at the Catholic Children's Society
My adoption was wonderful ,my Mum and Dad gave me a warm loving family life and a privileged education. My school,a convent, was set in beautiful grounds,nuns would teach us, and they were very strict.I remember an occasion where we had the chance to become penpals with school children in Ireland
I had started writing to a girl my age in a Catholic school,a convent,,and all my letters were intercepted by the nuns as i assume hers were and I was told I couldn't write to her anymore, just like that !!
There was so much secrecy around , and no body answering my questions, no explanations made,it was a case of,,well when the nuns spoke you didn't question anything !
My pen pals surname was Connelly
I hope one day you will find her x
They ran those places like prison camps! No religion there.
Oh my Gosh what a lovely man Andrew Pierce is!!!!! Wow. I’m bowled over how lovely he is.
Religious institutions are responsible for so much heartache and pain. I'm glad he had the chance to meet her.
Really he could have been left to a workhouse if the catholic orphanage wasn't there....
They were the ones finding babies and opening orphanages actually, in most cultures, you just left them to die, if they were sickly, if they they were illegitimate you left them outside and waited for them to starve.
Ultimately lack of birth control is responsible for much sorrow.
why religious just say catholic
What an amazing man, great interview
He is very generous..she married while he was still at the orphanage, she had a chance at happiness and she took it, good on her...very generous
Andrew, when your book becomes available here in Australia I will definitely be purchasing it ❤❤
Mine left when I was 3, I tracked her down and she didn't want to know me either. Damaged me for life, I now trust very few people.
Please don't allow her to have any further negative power over you. You're precious.