Jeanne finds a new family

I love it that when you talk to people you never know what their story might be. When I started chatting to Jeanne (70) at a product trade show I was visiting (hence the rather colourful background) I could never have guessed what had recently happened to her.

"Fifty years ago things were very different for single mothers, so when I had my daughter I gave her up for adoption.  Then in April last year, I got a letter saying somebody was looking for me and by the end of the month I had spoken to and met her and now I have her, her mother, who I’ve met, (her adoptive father has unfortunately died) and her two children, a boy who’s 13 and a girl who’s 10 in my life. So I’m a mother and a granny all in 10 months!

I'm a mother and a granny all in 10 months!

I was always absolutely dying to look for her, but I knew about her, she might not have known about me. So her coming into my life - I have no other children - would have been much less disruptive than me going into hers. Since we met we’ve met we’ve had some ups and downs. Understandably she’s got a lot of questions to ask. And  I’ve got a lot of things to say.

Things were very different 50 years ago. There was no back-up for having a baby alone. Even the child was discriminated against as a bastard when the word was meant with venom. But we’re doing well. We’ve just spent our first Christmas, together along with my sister and my niece, who has been a big part of my life, and her adorable wee boy. Now we’re planning the future and it’s wonderful."

Do you have any experience of adoption? Either of being adopted, or of adopting a child. I'd be fascinated to hear your story.