When I was in high school, I had a girlfriend Annie and we were in love. She came from a really strict, Catholic family. When she got pregnant our senior year in high school, her family immediately made her break up with me. They convinced her to place our son for adoption. It wasn’t like I disagreed with the decision about adoption. I was angry that I was blamed for Annie’s pregnancy. I contacted Friends in Adoption which is the agency that Annie’s parents had found, and I was lucky. The caseworker told me what rights I had and I was able to share my medical history with the adoptive parents. Also, Annie wanted no contact with the baby after the adoption. But I did and so I get to see my son every year at the Friends in Adoption picnic and I get letters and pictures twice a year. Friends in Adoption made sure I had an attorney to look out for my legal interests, at no cost to me.
I was able to go to college and graduate. I have a good job so I know my son will be proud. I don’t think I could have done all this if I had to be a full-time dad to my son and this way I get the best of both worlds.