The Mothers' Story Project: A Mothers' Story

I became pregnant in Sept. 63 and didn't know I was pregnant until late March 64. My parents sent me to Rosalie Hall in NYC 1200 miles from home where my son was born 6-17-64. I was told I would forget, would have other children etc. None of which was true. He was my only child.
I was never given the option to keep my baby. I was told, "If you keep THAT baby, you can stay in NYC and not to expect a penny of help from us.  What would people in Wauchula think if they knew I had a baby. My father would lose his business because no one wants to do business with a man who has a bastard for a grandchild!"

My son's dad had gotten one of my friends pregnant and had married her shortly after we were together and he went into the Navy. I never saw him or got to tell him about our son.
When I refused to FORGET him, things went from bad to worse with my mother.
In January 67, my parents gave me a surprise visit to the mental ward where they had me locked up for 6 weeks and given 10 electroconvulsive shock treatments. A steel bat bashed in my brains would have done the same thing. I lost my college, music, places and names of things I loved. But they didn't get my son's memories. When I got out I moved away from home and never went back but to visit.

I went thru 4 abusive marriages, drank a lot and finally found my son, Steve, in April '91. He flew down for my birthday May 3. He had been looking for me too. We look just alike and both ride motorcycles. We even bought each other the very same gift!

We went thru some rocky spots in our relationship especially after his Amom passed away. His Adad was already gone. His birth father died in a car wreck in '74 and never knew about him. His family though has accepted my son and love him very much,

Steve had a great family and he is a retired NYPD SCUBA diver.  I now I have two beautiful granddaughters who I am very close to.

I would like to see adoption records open as well as open adoption.
It's none of the government's business. If a birth mother doesn't want to meet her child or vice versa, it should be their decision and certainly not the government's.

It is sad to know that the government thinks its so damned important to hide an American's identity. You'd think they were in a witness protection program!

My autobiography, Pieces of My Heart, will be out soon, which I am hoping will get the message across to the general public....adoption screws your life up and closed adoption records are totally unfair. God chose me to be his mother, not the government! Everyone has the right to know who they are!