The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Page 18 - ngonoo Chronickr, Wednesday, March 16, 1977 By Monica Frim If you ask a small child where babies come from, you’re bound to get one of two answers: from the stork or from Mummy's tummy. Pose the same question to an adopted child and you'll hear a personal fairy-tale of child-like tan- tasies which could appropriately be called the Chosen Chil- dren Syndrome. Wendy Eatins. an adoptee and founder of K-W Adoptees Search Group, can still remember her own personal fantasy. "I remember going into a nursery and seeing rowon-mw of children in cribs. There were name tags on the beds but no names. And all the children were faceless. People would go into that room. pick out thoprettiest baby andtake it home.” For adoptees, fantasy is the only way of establishing an identity to satisfy the proverbial question, "Who am I?" Most adoptees' are not looking for someone to replace their adoptive parents. At the same time, they do not have hostile feelings towards their natural parents for giving them up, says Wendy. . "lt's just curiosity. It's a really good feeling to know who you look like," she says. ' Wendy first seriously thought about looking for her birth parents when she was 18, but she didn't do anything about it until lastyear when she was 21. ‘ . AL - -4AA:-_ A..,|,... ullbll IUD! JvI-l V‘I-v-u _--v ..._V - At that time, her mother gave her the addption order which Stated her name at birth. From there, Wendy's search awolved visits to the (Children's Aid Society) CAS in Sarnia (who were no help because of guaranteed confidentiality to both adoptive and birth parents) and to the library where she scanned old newspapers and telephone directories. The aiirTiirrVGook four mimths. "It helped to have an unusual name," said Wendy. She also found a half-brother who was adopted. _ New fashions for Spring gi"iii"iri'ii'"""iii':'i'j"i"i'p helps adoptees find parents The accent's on tcomfort with this Sunny new crop of Spring shoes by Selby in the most up to date styles. tre""")'::. Mon Thurs,, 930-6, Fri., 9:30-9, Sat. 9230-5 q/li),!::,:; 2 15 King St. N., Waterloo 886-4440 â€" open - by The K-W Adoptees search group held its first meeting in July, 19%. It is a branch of Parent Finders of Toronto, formed in February, WIS. The agency offers practical suggestions and moral support to people from adoptive or foster homes, but stresses the fact that each person does his own research. There are " members who range in age from early 20’s to late 40's. The group does not accept people under 18 because of legal complications and because they may be going through a personal crisis with their adoptive parents, teach- ers or friends at that age, says Wendy. The Adoptees Search Group meets once a month in the home of oneof the members. Membership is $5 a3ear to cover costs of mailing, photo-copying and other expenses. It is important to understand all sides before venturing in- to a search for your birth parents, says Wendy. For this reason, the group recommends several books written from the perspective of the adoptee, the adoptive parent and the birth parent, as well " recent articles in magazines and newspapers. One of the books recommended for methodolo- gy is Alex Haley's Roots. A - _ __ . - c, -----. ..-si-.r..wete. cane a: -- ---'- """'J -- -- A search for birth parents can be very problematic, says Wendy. She always tells people who are searching that there is a chance their parents may not want to see them. For this reason it is important to give parents time to think. . "It takes time. If you‘re willing to give time. it often works out," she says. Usually the relationship does not go farther than the bounds of friendship. “You ean't just forget about the people who have brought you up and suddenly develop a warm relationship with a stranger," she says. One of the biggest problems in undertaking a search for parents is lack of co-operation and information. ' . A . .4, LA -.-__-...... human”. yum..- ..- -_--- -- -- .r Many adoptive parents try to hide background information of a person's birth for fear of losing a child. __ --- .. A . - W” :_:-___-.:.... ‘Mm um _"'""'""""""'""-?"- --_"e" - - It is also very difficult to receive any information, from the CAS which promises anonymity to birth mothers. Until the mid-1960’s, the mother's surname appeared on the adoption order. Now it includes only the mother's initial, the given names of the child and a code number. - _ .. " A .. . A __ --..--" an“ ' uu. g"-.. .......-- v. __- ---- Another obstacle is the fact that the government does not give birth certificates to adoptees because their birth record is confidential. . Last year, the Ontario government considered establishing a registry for adoptees and parents who gave up a child for adoption and later wanted to contact each other. No decision has been reached yet. "There is very little that can be done," says Wendy. She suggests that searchers check libraries, census records, voters' lists, car registrations, baptismal certificates, obituaries, which give names of survivors, and any other documents they can obtain. - __ _ .. . A - ~____I. RA_ ".-'... UVLIIIIIVIIW any} u...- v_...__,v She does not recommend that all adoptees search for their birth parents. Sometimes the adoptee encounters so much white AA- B- D widths $2995 THE TREASURE TROVE " uniontt. Waterloo 745-6773 House of Beauty LINCOLN PLAZA, WEBER ST. NORTH, 885-4690 OPEN TUES. - SAT. 10:00 - 5:30 Hours SPRING SPECIAL - 15% OFF Cuts. Styling. Perms and Coloring 885-4690 Tuesday - Friday 8:30-6:00, Saturday 8:00-4:00 all Chuck or Lama Fol Try Something New The proper cut and styling can add new fullness and body to your hair. Why not let “Chuck" or "Lama“ choose one to flatter you. Take advantage of our Limited Time. Spring, Special Now. Wendy Eakins. founder ot the KitchenerWatorloo Adoptees Search Groupca branch of Parent Finders, is familiar with the mixed emotions. often experi- enced by adoptees in search of their biological parents. opposition that he decides he really does not want to go through with the search. ---- . n.. ,,,4_,_ -_-_.- "4-.....“ ullvubll WM.-. ---v -__.e_ "_-- Wendy would like to see adoption records open to adoptees who have reached age of majority. L . _ Environment, media are topit Finding your ii'iifi'rkliiiGr/enis often enhances your life, she says. "You see who you are if you see both sides. It's a feeling only an adoptee can understand. ,, A day-long program of workshops tieing together environmental issues and news media will be held on the University of Waterloo campus March 19. The pub- lic is invited to attend. There will be a series of workshops beginning at 10 a.m. on subjects such as: "Newspapers and Energy Decisions," "The Ethics of Environmental Journalism," "Media Participation and the Citizen," "Technocratic Approaches to Communi- cating with Citizens," "The Third World and Media Attena ls Your Appomtment Oppression" and "Environ- mental Issues and the Mass The workshops will be held in various classrooms in the Environmental Studies building. The key- note address, "Environ- ment in Search of a Medi- Media." um" will be given at 7:00 p.m. Friday evening, March 18, in the Theatre of the Arts. Speaker will be Phil Lind, secretary and vice-president, Rogers Tele- communications Limited. Toronto.