Being an adopted child is no easy life.

I have had to face many traumas, as an adopted child, that other children have never had to face. It was not just the teasing I endured in school, although that was most certainly a part of it.

It was the feeling that I didn't really belong. The feeling that I wasn't quite like the other kids.

My adoptive mother and father loved me and always made me feel accepted. so it wasn't that I suffered from a lack of affection, in my life. But despite this love, I still couldn't help wondering and wanting to figure out why my birth parents had found the need to put me up for adoption.

I felt a need to check my adoption records From a very early age,in order to find out what had happened to my natural birth parents. My thoughts were full of questions that I needed to be answered.

To find out who they were? Where they lived? And why they had given me away.

My parents, at first were strongly against letting me find out. The only reason I actually realized that I was 'adopted', was that I once accidently heard them talking about my 'adoption records'. They had planned to keep it a secret from me, and successfully did so until I reached the age of eleven.

One day, my dad sat me down for a serious talk, when I was thirteen. He said "Your mother and I love you very much son. But if you are still determined to find out who your natural birth parents are,then we will help you find your 'adoption records". I gave him a hug, I was on the verge of tears, and thanked him, and told him how much I loved him, as well.

We then set out to check our 'adoption records'. It was far more difficult than I expected it would be.

My parent(s)had given me away anonymously, not wanting to face the shame of not being unable to bring up their child alone. All we had was the first name of my mother: Karen.

We tried the hospital, but of course, the record was confidential, so that drew a blank. We then turned our attention to the internet, and tried 'adoption records services', to see if there was anything available there.

These services cost little, but in this case weren't really very helpful, although in many cases they can be.

After several searches, we were no closer to finding my parents than we were when we first started the quest. That's when I decided to turn to television.

There was a talk show doing a series of programs about 'adoptees', who wanted to be 'reunited', with their birth parents. I went on with my adopted parents, and told my story.

I told the viewers how I was now a happy healthy high schooler, living the American dream. But that In my life there was still this 'missing something', this void in my life.

I had expected that maybe, just maybe, my parents would call. I just wasn't prepared for what actually did happen, however. It seems they had been 'back stage' all the time, and after I had related my story, they came out to meet me!

I found it actually a bit difficult to get to know them and my parents who brought me up seem far more my real 'folks'. Than my birth parents can or will ever be. It has however 'laid the ghosts from the past'

One thing I found that meeting them certainly released the feelings of 'not knowing' and it satisfied my quite natural curiosity. I'm sure it certainly made me better appreciate my loving and devoted adoptive parents.