Being adopted isn’t easy. It can be a very scary process. That is normal for most people. I was very scared going through the whole process of adoption. It’s okay to be scared because being adopted is a very big change that will affect your whole life.

I got over my fear of being adopted by talking to friends and family about my feelings. I talked to people who I knew have been adopted to help me get over the fear of adoption.

I had millions of questions going through my head. Most of them were along the line of “Will I ever see my foster and biological parents again?” or “Will I lose my current family forever?”

Being adopted is like getting an additional family; they won’t replace your current family.

If you’re worried about losing your current family like I was, you have nothing to worry about. Think of an adoptive family like an addition. You will have your previous family and your new adoptive family.

Though adoption seems like a very scary experience, it’s actually pretty fun. You get to meet new people, and experience things you may never have experienced before.

No matter what people say, being adopted is not a bad thing. People are always making being adopted sound like it’s a bad thing but it really isn’t.

If you have the chance, ask people around you if there is someone who has been adopted. You will most likely find more than one person who has been adopted.

Connect with other youth in and from care and youth adoptees at speakoutyouthzone.com. Get more resources for youth aging out of care at AgedOut.com.