Mother finds her son on Facebook after 33 years: she was forced to give him up for adoption
Giving a child up for adoption is never an easy decision. When Shelley Pitts got pregnant at just 14 years of age, she ultimately knew what would be best for her baby - adoption. "I was 14, I was pregnant and I was totally in shock. In my naivety, I thought I could prevent becoming pregnant by sheer willpower. But when I did get pregnant, I knew I was too young to have a baby," she said.
For the first few months, Shelley tried to keep her pregnancy a secret, but her body was changing and rumors about her began to circulate at her high school. "Soon, my boyfriend Sidney and I were forced to tell our respective parents about the baby. They all agreed: the right solution was adoption."
via KidSpot.com
“During labor, a social worker from the adoption agency held my hand and told me to push. None of my relatives were able to be there with me. I was alone. I felt like I was watching someone else giving birth. It was surreal. At 12:54 pm on March 29, my son was born. I chose to see him even though I was told it would be traumatizing. I needed to see him, " said Shelley.
"I couldn't conceive of leaving without holding him at least once. He was perfect, but he wasn't meant to be mine. I kept telling myself he would have a better life with his adoptive parents. I didn't cry when they took him. I remember feeling ashamed and as if I didn't have the right to cry. I was giving away my baby. I certainly couldn't be deserving of compassion, right? "
After giving birth, Shelley got on with her teenage life, silently celebrating her son's birthday every year from the day she gave him up for adoption. "When I was 20 years old, I got married, had three daughters and got divorced - but my son always had a place in my heart and my mind. After his 30th birthday, I decided to join an adoption search site that puts you in contact with someone who matches the criteria you enter. There was no match. Knowing that his 33rd birthday was approaching, I logged back into the site ... and my new search provided a result that was an 81% match. So I searched for this person's name on Facebook ".
"I found a photo of a young man in a heavy coat taking a selfie in the snow. The eyes staring back at me were mine. The lips were his father's. I had found my son! I sent him a quick private message, that read: 'I'm your biological mom. I don't know how else to say it more simply and directly. I hope you answer. I can't believe I found you'". A few days later a reply came:"Hi, I don't know where to start. I'd love to talk to you.” "My heart exploded reading this,” Shelley said.
The woman was terrified that her son would be angry at her for being abandoned, but the text of his later message dispelled all doubts: "This is almost like being in a dream. There are a million things I would like to say and at the same time I can't find the words. Know that I love you. I've never been mad at you," wrote the young man, named Daniel.
After an emotional phone call the two decided to meet: "The wait at the airport was extremely tense and I was so excited that I could barely sit still. Our first hug was unlike anything else I had ever felt in my life. My heart was filled with joy. 'I can't believe you're finally here,' I kept telling him in his ear. All he could do was give a soft laugh. My son was finally home," Shelley said, describing the encounter. "The next six days were filled with family, food and all the love we could give him. When Daniel returned to Virginia, it was hard to let him go. We held each other for ages and he kissed me on the forehead before picking up his suitcase and going to the airport. Daniel was leaving, but he wasn't really." This, in fact, was only the beginning of their new relationship.
