Curling up on my mother’s lap with a book, her fingers combed through my hair. I was seven and exceptionally close to Mum. We were so alike, we both loved reading and enjoyed art and we even looked the same, with our dark hair. Nobody would suspect that I didn’t really belong to her.
I was just six weeks old when my mum Bronwen and dad Kenneth adopted me in March 1970. They’d had fertility problems and I was joining an older sister who they’d also adopted, although wasn’t biologically linked to me. Then, when I was three, a new fertility treatment became available that worked for them, and my youngest sister was born.
My adoption was never kept a secret. There was no big reveal like you often see in films, it was just a normal part of growing up. Fortunately, rather than thinking someone didn’t want me, I felt like I was the chosen one.
I’d often picture my parents walking along rows of cots before picking me to take home. It’s something my mum would tell me too. ‘From the first time I held you in my arms, I knew you were mine,’ she’d say. And while my youngest sister was their biological child, they never treated any of us differently.
It helped that I was so similar to Mum. And there were a few other children at my primary school who had been adopted, so I didn’t stand out as not being from a ‘normal’ family.
But aged 16, I was in teachers said, ‘You seem very well adjusted for someone of your background.’
Denne historien er fra March 06, 2023-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
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Denne historien er fra March 06, 2023-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on the gender gap, cats and timed hugs
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LET'S EMBRACE OUR CHRISTMAS TAT!
Becky Dickinson explains why she'll still be rocking around her tinsel-strewn tree this year
BURIED SECRETS
We look at the shocking cases of celebrities posthumously accused of being sexual predators-and how they got away with it
FESTIVE NO-BAKES
Pop on the Christmas tunes and whip up a batch of these easy sweet treats
PROTECT YOUR SMILE
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'TIS THE SEASON TO SHINE!
At last, Hayley McCrossan, 39, feels fit and healthy
FOR THE LOVE OF TOM
When Deborah Mitchell, 57, lost her son, she vowed to help other families facing the same heartbreak
THE NURSE WHO LEFT MY GRANDAD FOR DEAD belict
Rachael Fealey, 31, had one question for the woman who killed her beloved Grampa - how could you?
Coleen's MONEY WORRIES
What are the reasons behind her financial and marriage fears?