One family, two children, and six parents: understanding the absent presence of birth families through a five-year investigation of an adoptive mother’s narratives

ABSTRACT This five-year single case study was aimed to understand the role of birth families in the family dynamics of one American family with two daughters adopted from China over the course of their transition into adolescence. Six open-ended interviews with the adoptive mother, triangulated with two unstructured observations, revealed that despite their physical absence, the adoptees’ birth families occupied an important space in the family dynamics of this adoptive family. Interviews with the adoptive mother revealed that for the two adopted children, the absent presence of their respective birth families had different cognitive, affective, and behavioral manifestations. Over the course of transitioning from childhood to adolescence, there was a gradual and noticeable increase of autonomy in both adoptees in initiating adoption conversations. There was also a power shift from the adoptive mother to the two daughters in family discussions on birth families, although differences between the two adoptees in handling birth family-related issues were also apparent. Findings highlighted the palpable presence of birth families in the lives of adopted children and meaningful differences between the two adoptees raised in one adoptive family. Implications for family clinicians working with adoptive families were discussed.