86 Years of Love, One Day of Betrayal: My Kids Left Me for a Stranger’s Words
My Kids Abandoned Me on My 86TH Birthday after Getting a Letter from an Unknown Lady Day Before – Story of the Day
The day before my 86th birthday, my adopted children received a letter from their birth mother and chose to celebrate with her rather than me. Subsequently, they discovered an astounding reality and came to understand that not everything is as it seems.
“I know that you and Dad gave us the best care possible when raising us, Mom. However, if I claimed I wasn’t interested in this woman, I would be lying,” my daughter Emily remarked. When we first spoke on the phone, I thought she was trying to finalise preparations for my birthday, which was the next day. But Emily needed to tell me something really important.
After all the years of commitment I had given her and her brother, and with my birthday approaching, I didn’t realise at the time that I wasn’t ready to hear it.
My spouse Kevin and I made the decision to become parents many years ago, and we spent a lot of time trying to get pregnant. Sadly, nothing transpired, and I felt inadequate, which was the major reason my heart shattered every day. Though I knew it wasn’t all my fault—Kevin also struggled with infertility—it still really bothered me.
We applied for adoption at the age of nearly forty, and to our surprise, a pregnant teenager chose us over all the other younger applicants. We were overjoyed and willing to tell her everything about her child, but she felt that a closed adoption would be the best course of action, and we had to agree with her.
I clutched my phone trembling through Emily’s quiet. Something made my senses go tingly. There had been an incident. She spoke too quietly. This is not how my daughter ever behaved.
But when she revealed she was pregnant with a boy and a girl, she startled us once more. Without hesitation, we accepted them both, gave them the names Emily and Ethan, and did our best to raise them.
Kevin and I were well off financially in our 40s. We had plenty of time for our babies because, by the time the kids arrived, we had launched a business that didn’t require much attention. It was flawless.
True, we were older, and there were days when it was difficult, particularly when we didn’t get much sleep. But the reward was enormous. Kevin felt the same way about it—I would never change it.
On certain days, we would simply cuddle our sleeping infants in our living room and enjoy the most exquisite sound in the world—their regular breathing. “This is the best choice we have ever made, Madeleine. Love was bursting from my chest, and all I could do was grin at my darling husband when Kevin assured me, “I would do anything for these babies.”
The children had wonderful growth. Despite being identical twins, they were incredibly dissimilar. It had always been Kevin’s desire to play baseball with his son, but Emily was the sports enthusiast. She subsequently joined the basketball team at her school and won numerous high school titles because she was skilled at everything that included a ball. She later won a full scholarship at UCLA, which was close to our Pasadena home, thanks to her talent.
Ethan, on the other hand, was a full mind. Though he excelled in every area, arithmetic was his strongest suit. He participated in math and chess competitions, and because of his academic standing, he was accepted to Stanford University. I didn’t really enjoy that one, especially after spending so much time with them. But you have to let your children go, you know?
That’s what we carried out. After imparting all of our principles and reassuring them that they would always have a secure place here, Kevin and I handed them wings to soar.
Of course, Emily lived close by, and Ethan made every effort to visit. Following their graduation, Ethan spent several years in New York City advancing his career, while Emily returned to Pasadena. But in the end, he came back too. Ever since we watched them tie the knot and welcome their first child, we have been even more delighted about that.
It was the hardest time in my life when Kevin tragically passed away when we were eighty years old. Fortunately, I had the support of Emily and her husband Richard, as well as Ethan and Susan, who made every effort to ensure I never felt alone.
“You can rely on us at all times, Mom.” Just one month after Kevin’s death, Emily told me, “I love you so much and I want my kids to have a happy grandma smiling all the time and baking cookies.” As we watched her children run around and play, we were seated on her back porch.
“I’m grateful, honey. Remain calm. Though I’ll never be able to move over the loss of your dad, it will take time, and I promise to be the best grandmother your kids have ever known. I joked, “But don’t tell Richard’s mum I said that,” and she laughed too, giving me a playful whack on the arm.
We never once considered informing them they were adopted throughout the entire ordeal. We didn’t think it was all that significant. The truth is, I had all but forgotten. In every sense of the word, they were my kids. But perhaps that wasn’t the best decision. Maybe we ought to have imparted all of the knowledge to them sooner in life. Perhaps it would have had an impact on subsequent events.
“But it’s my birthday, honey. Do you not want to bring the kids over? And Ethan, what about him? He’s not returning calls,” I refuted what my daughter had said. My health had not been the best lately, so I wanted the whole family to be there for my birthday. I would never tell them that I felt even more vulnerable than before.
I clutched my phone trembling through Emily’s quiet. Something made my senses go tingly. There had been an incident. She spoke too quietly. This is not how my daughter ever behaved.
“To tell the truth, Mom, a woman contacted Ethan and me today. early in the day. She claimed to be our birth mother and to have spent years searching for us. She wants to see us and even sent proof of the adoption. Ethan wants to see her, according to our conversation. However, I would like to know why you chose not to notify us.”
It completely stunned me. It was unbelievable to me. They had received communication with the adolescent who desired a closed adoption. Emily’s candour pleased me. However, I didn’t know what to say to her. She was clearly furious, but it wasn’t clear if she was mad with me or the circumstances in general.
“I… I… My hands continued to shake and my forehead began to perspire, but I hesitated before saying, “Honey, really, I didn’t think it mattered at all.” “I truly apologise. Right now, I can tell you anything you require to know. However, how is that related to my 86th birthday?”
“Since she no longer resides in Pasadena, Mom, she would like to meet tomorrow. To be honest, I’m a little enraged with you. I wanted the truth to be known. I believe Ethan is also furious. Thus, I believe we’ll visit with that woman and deliberate for a few days before making any decisions,” Emily replied.
“Decisions? What do you mean, Emily? I am fully able to inform you about the adoption. Even though it’s late, you and Ethan are welcome to come over tonight so we can talk things out. I promise that at one point, your dad and I almost forgot you guys were adopted, but we didn’t want to keep it a secret. My babies are you. My heart tells me so. from the first time I ever held you. With tears in my eyes, I pleaded with my daughter, “I swear, I didn’t mean anything bad.”
She begged, her voice nearly choking, “Mom, please.” “I need some time to reflect; I know you didn’t mean any damage. I’ll speak with Ethan, but I doubt we’ll be able to see each other today or tomorrow. Please be understanding of us. We will discuss in a few days. I’m not sure.
I wanted to argue further, but Emily was correct. It took them several days to consider it. They had to sort this out, even though it crushed my heart to think they may be spending my special day with their birth mother.
“All right, sweetie. However, I am present. Give me a call with anything. Any inquiries. Additionally, at any moment. Here I am. I could barely control my voice as I said the final few words, “I… love you.”
Emily was sobbing over the other end of the queue. “All right, Mom. I… I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye.
My heartbeat was too rapid to be comfortable as my fingers gently removed the phone from my ear. Whenever she called someone, Emily would always say, “I love you too.” It was something we did. Me and my girl. I felt unable to stop her from doubting our relationship at this point.
I got up from the couch and took my time making my way to my bedroom, where I spent hours crying into my pillow and finally nodding off.
It was a horrible day the next day. My typical wake-up time was much later. I was usually up by dawn as an older woman who had always been a morning person. but, not on my birthday. I was reminded of yesterday night when I woke up late. I checked my phone, which was resting on my nightstand, and saw that my children had not left me any messages.
There had been birthday messages from some friends and cousins, but nothing from Emily and Ethan. I’ll be honest. That was the most painful thing. It hurt too much that my kids were always the first to wish me a happy birthday.
I pondered whether they had already met their biological mother. Did they have a conflict? Did I betray them in any way? For the remainder of the day, I had a tonne of other inquiries.
Nightfall soon arrived, and despite my attempts to telephone, my kids were nowhere to be found. It was nonsensical. Yes, I did withhold some important information from them, but this seemed excessive in response.
Even though I wasn’t exhausted, I made the decision to go to bed. My goal is to drift off to the noises of stupid TV shows. But the moment I entered my bedroom, the doorbell rang. I scowled in bewilderment. I hadn’t received any calls about dropping by.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!”
I opened the door and nearly had a heart attack. Emily and Ethan were holding a cake with the birthday candles lighted and ready, and my lovely family was outside. They began to sing all of a sudden, and I put my palm on my chest because I was so moved.
During the song, my eyes began to water, and by the time I had to blow out the candles, a few tears had fallen. After that, everyone clapped and began kissing me and wishing me another happy birthday. As soon as they were all inside the home, I was overjoyed.
In addition, they brought food and gifts, and my grandchildren all started yelling and running around. Even though my attire was inappropriate for the situation, I didn’t care. The presence of my children and their families was all that counted.
Emily then drew me aside and motioned for Ethan to come say something away from the others.
I apologised by looking directly into their eyes before they had a chance to speak. “The amount of regret I have for not telling you the truth is beyond words. I assumed you wouldn’t be seeing me today. I’m grateful, babies.” And I gave them the strongest hug I could.
They gave me a hug back as well, and I could see they were both crying. “Mom, I apologise for that phone call you made last night. Nothing should be regretted by you. Emily said, “You did the best for us,” and Ethan gave a nod.
Yes. Mom, I ought to have picked up your calls. But I had mixed feelings. I needed time, there’s no other way to describe it,” he continued.
Although their words pleased me, I remained inquisitive. “I assumed that since you were meeting your birth mother today, you two needed more time. Could you explain what transpired?”
Ethan ran a hand through his hair as Emily let out a sigh. “Mum, that was a complete bust. It shocked me to hear him say, “We don’t trust her.
“Why?”
“It went well at first. Amanda Collins is her name. She was fairly pleasant. I don’t think she was seeking for us for as long as she claimed to have, but that’s what she told us. With the exception of Ethan’s college years and a few years later, we lived in the same place for many years. It was you two that were present. My daughter started off by shaking her head in shock and saying, “She could’ve reached out to you.”
Giving the woman the benefit of the doubt, I retorted, “Maybe, she didn’t want to deal with us.”
Emily said, “No, I feel like that’s not it.” “After spending a few minutes inquiring about our lives. She launched into a self-centered diatribe. Everything she carried out. what she has accomplished. enrolling in college. locations she has been to. That’s okay, but I felt she would have preferred to get to know us.”
I answered, “Maybe, she wanted you to know her,” still failing to understand their lack of confidence in her.
“Mom, her stories continued for two hours. after just a few brief inquiries about us. Her desire to know us was absent. Ethan added, “At least, that’s how I felt.” “And then she said something that just sealed it for me.”
“Sealed what?”
“My distrust.”
“I don’t understand.”
Mom, she’s ill. Although I think it’s failing for other reasons—if you get my drift—she has a terrible liver,” Emily said. “And then she began inquiring about our well-being. At that point, I was positive she hadn’t been searching for us for any number of years. She might have acted more convincingly, wouldn’t she, as she seems to be requesting something from us?”
I had no idea what to say to them. I was really sorry for them. “Sweeties, did she ask you directly for something?”
She was surprised when we hastily excused ourselves. Ethan shrugged and said, “She insisted on giving us her phone number and told us almost desperately to call her.” “Mom, that was all a ruse. What we can offer her is what interests her, not ourselves.”
“What are you going to do?” Glancing between them, I questioned. They appeared disappointed rather than heartbroken by it.
“I don’t think I want to talk to her again,” my son replied right away.
Emily was torn, though. She crossed her arms, shuffled her feet, and cast her gaze on the floor. She finally turned to face me and stated, “I don’t know what to do about her.” “But today I came to a realisation. We have not had much time to consider adoption. It’s still fresh. But one thing is certain of me. You’re my mother. My only mother is you.”
My eyes welled with tears once more, and I was unable to control the sobs that pounded my chest. Emily put her arms around me and started to cry. Even Ethan, who was normally severe and full of rationality, began to get teary-eyed.
“That is accurate. He joined our group and reassured me, saying, “A mother is the one who raises you, not the one who gives birth to you.”
I knew then that everything would work out for us. They knew that I loved them unconditionally, so even if Amanda tried to stay in their life, their love for me would not falter.
What lessons may we draw from this tale?
The woman who loved and raised you is your real mother, not the one who gave birth to you. The announcement of their adoption and the appearance of their biological mother caused friction for Ethan and Emily. But they soon discovered that Madeleine, their mother, was actually their biological parent.
Be sincere with your kids at all times. Madeleine ought to have informed her children sooner about her adoption. Being fully honest is always preferable, even if it seems unneeded.
Talk about this tale with your companions. It could motivate them and make their day better.
