Sound of Silence: Birthfathers
"In my reflections... on the sometimes confused world of relationships which adoption can create, I find a certain peacefulness in acknowledging that there is another man out there who [is] also my son's father. Maybe that's just because a club with two members is much more interesting than a club with only one." - Curt Rice, adoptive father, author of "Fathers & Son"
We know they're out there. Biological reality. But birthfathers are the most silent members of the adoption constellation. They rarely appear in our chat rooms, on our forums, in our publications, registries, and organizations. Do they care?
Community Members Have Their Say
Lynda, an adoptee, writes:
I have to tell you, my husband is a great father, he does not understand how men, or boys can just ignore children their father. But he says this only after being a father himself.THW4, from Holland, writes:
I can't help but wonder if he and I had a child, let's say, when I was sixteen, would he have been so highly moralistic? Would he have been the stand-up guy he claims to be? He claims he would have been, but I don't know.
For a lot of guys unborn children do not exist, if nobody involves them in the birth process the child will not be really theirs.ADOPTIVEMOMX, an adoptive mother, writes:
I can answer for both of my son's birthfathers: they both are pretending my sons don't exist. The first hid when it was time to sign away his rights and has never admitted paternity. The second at least met us and signed away his rights. But he never met our son.MARI51, a birthmother, writes:
Many bdads of the 60s rode off into the sunset without a care in the world. I never told the bdad about my pregnancy until Liz was 18. He of course admitted that he knew from the beginning and had always felt guilt for not supporting me.KILO, a birthmother, writes:
Perhaps the reason bfathers are so noticeably absent is more biological than emotional. We bmoms had a long-standing physical connection to our children, and we are genetically programmed -- some of us more than others -- to bond with our children, as they are programmed to bond with us. We had nine months, give or take, to form that bond, while the bfathers for the most part simply went on about their business of hunting and gathering and whatnot. (Mostly whatnot, from what I've witnessed.)DJW4, a young birthmother, writes:
Mind you, I am NOT saying that finding bfathers is less important, or that the relationship with the father (if you will) cannot be as influential as that with the mother. But maybe our evolution just has not progressed as rapidly as our civilization.
Whatever. I honestly think that if my daughter had not found me, and through me her birthfather, he would never have considered searching for her, nor would the loss of her have been much of an issue for him. This is not because he is a callous person; for him, she was simply another episode in his youth that he had long since put aside. He didn't live with her for nearly a year as I did, and so she was never as real to him as she was to me.
My sons' bdad is not in the pic. I sincerely hope that he is never in the picture! For some this may sound cold and callous, however, my sons' bdad is the reason for the adoption. He was deathly abusive and is not a man that I would ever want around my children.
What Do Birthfathers Say?
JBR263 writes:
When my children were kept from me and given away for me never to see again, the birthmother said it was the best thing for them, and maybe she really believed that, but it was a violation of my rights (not a legal violation at that time, 1964, but certainly a moral one).JAMES2309 writes:
Every time I try to talk on a chat etc as a bdad who is crazy about his daughter I am ignored.DTaylor384 writes:
Her birth mother had told me she was going to have an abortion. She then disappeared. Since abortions were illegal in 1962, I searched thru birth records and found nothing. I knew in my heart there had been a child. I always knew it was a girl.
I had told my wife when we married 36 years ago there was a possibility of a child.
For the most part, Birthfathers do not know that they are birthfathers until after they have been found. Amazing how easy it is for a birthmother to forget who the birthfather was or how it came about or how to contact him when it comes time to relinquish. Not to put down the birthmothers, just to acknowledge part of the history. Another good reason is that more often than not, when a birthfather pops his head up in a forum, he is open to immediate and vitriolic attacks from birthmothers who will be present. Both situations lead males to not want to be involved. In a broader sense, examine how males are raised. Look at the myths that males survive under and how they learn to respond. I recommend Pollack's book on "Real Boys.". It is enlightening to see how a little boy is taught to be tough and independent as soon as he is able to walk. How he is taught not to accept or recognize most of the emotions that are fostered in little girls. Now bring that up to the present and think of how many males that you know that do not respond verbally to situations that you (females) would talk to death. See how they will give you answers by performing actions. Now figure out how a male can consider looking if he does not know if, where or how to look or posting for registries or in chats or on boards when he has not learned how to accept or discuss his own emotions.WOART10 writes:
I know I am not the only bfather out here who wants to hold his child and tell him/her how much they love him. When I was young and put my son up for adoption, at the time everyone said best thing for him was to be with someone who can give him the care and other things he needs. I knew I couldnt because of our divorce. I started to drink & drink and blamed their mother and the rest of the world for my faults. There were 6 children in our marrage. I got the 3 boys, she got the 3 girls. My mom took the oldest boy and the the middle one went back to his mom. David got left with me. The adoption agency came to take him that day and the last words I said to him were, "I love you David," and he said, "I love you daddy," and I went nuts. I left town and was gone for 5 yrs, came back and started to look for him. Back then they told me only his bmom could look for him, so I kept on looking anyway. Thru the years I have searched, but now with the computer and all the chat rooms and search angels and help on here, please I know you're out there and you do care, because for every adoptee there is a bfather whether it be you are married again or have a different life. So do they, to miss one who we so deeply love - because we think we can't do anything. We can.[Note: WOART10 and his son, David, have reunited... an emotional moment for all.]
Wouldn't it great to say to your child, "I am your father"? There are a lot out there who I am sure would like to do that. I know I can't wait.
Credits: Nancy S Ashe
California
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