'He was Our Child from the Moment We Walked in that Room': Entrance Stories of Adoptive Parents

Abstract

Adoptive parents engage in a complicated process of weaving entrance stories that construct the meaning of how their children were born, separated from birth parents, and integrated into their adoptive families. To understand adoptive parents' entrance stories, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 adoptive parents. Thematic analysis revealed five interactive themes that resonate in the entrance stories told by adoptive parents: dialectical tensions, destiny, compelling connection, rescue, and legitimacy. In concert, these themes create coherent accounts that affirm adopted children and adoption as a valid way of enlarging families.