Adoption means a lot of things. The people who raised you are not biologically related to you, but this doesn't mean they aren't your parents. The person who gave birth to you gave you away, but this doesn't mean they didn't want you. It just means that they didn't have the resources or they weren't ready for children. In a way, they were doing you a favor. Adoption is not a bad thing; it is a second chance at life. It is a chance for us to experience and live the life we deserve.

I was adopted the day I was born and I am thankful to the parents who raised me. They gave up everything to adopt and raise me. It is not easy to go through the process of adopting a child. It takes a lot of money and can take years to finally finish the process. It's also hard because you are living your life, then one day you get a call, and the next thing you know, you're responsible for a new born baby.

Another thing to think about is the amount of strength it takes a mother to step back and admit that they won't be able to raise their child. This is the most selfless thing a mother can do. This is them protecting their child from things they don't want them to be around. I have so much respect for any women that can go nine months carrying a child and then have the courage to hand them over to parents they know are a better fit.

There are a lot of negative stigmas about adoption. A lot of people think it is hard for the children and that they will have a lot of anger and harsh feelings about being adopted or that they will feel unwanted. While at some point this can happen, it is not the underlying message. Being given up for adoption does not mean we were unwanted—it actually makes us more loved and wanted because someone loved us enough to give us a better life, and someone wanted us so much that they dropped everything in their life in one night to be given the opportunity to have children.

Another stigma that I see is it is hard for some people to grasp the concept of giving away a child. Some people just don't agree with this and have a hard time understanding it. If you struggle with this, just know that it is not easy for these mothers to do this. They just want the best for their child. We need to be supportive of these women and thankful for them because they give other parents who can have kids the chance to have a family.

Thank you to all the mothers out there who chose adoption and not abortion and gave the child the best option for a fulfilled life. Thank you to all the parents out there who adopted a child and gave them a chance in life. Finally, I want to thank the parent who adopted me and raised me as their own, giving me everything I need in life. Thank you to the women who gave birth to me and then gave me up for adoption so I could have a second chance at life.