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“I Was Adopted”

Is Marcus, 15, curious about his biological parents? Sure. But that doesn’t mean he would trade the family he has now for anything else.  

April 2020
by Marcus Anton Gordon, as told to Jessica Press

Darren Hauck/Scholastic, Inc. via AP Images

Marcus’s mom was also adopted. “She understands what it’s like,” he says. “We share a special bond.”

    My older brother and I love to watch funny movies, like Step Brothers and Dumb and Dumber. 

    My dad and I cheer on the same sports teams—especially the Green Bay Packers.

    And my mom and I enjoy cooking together. She and I can talk for hours. 

    We are family, in every way that any family is connected. We have common interests, and we help each other through tough times.

    The only difference?

    It just so happens that I was adopted.

    My older brother and I love to watch funny movies, like Step Brothers and Dumb and Dumber.

    My dad and I cheer on the same sports teams—especially the Green Bay Packers.

    And my mom and I cook together. She and I can talk for hours.

    We are family, in every way that matters. We have common interests, and we help each other through tough times.

    The only difference?

    I was adopted.

    My older brother and I both love watching funny movies, like Step Brothers and Dumb and Dumber.

    My dad and I support the same sports teams—especially the Green Bay Packers.

    My mom and I enjoy cooking together, and we can talk for hours.

    We are family, in every way that any family is connected. We have common interests, and we support each other through challenging times.

    The only difference is that I was adopted.

A Better Life

    For my entire life, I have known the story of my adoption. I can’t remember ever not knowing it. I was born at a hospital in Texas, and my parents brought me home to Wisconsin. That’s where I’ve lived ever since. 

    Some people think that if you’re adopted, you must be mad at your biological parents. After all, they “gave you up.” But the way I see it, my biological parents didn’t give me up. They made a major sacrifice. They wanted me to have a better life than they could provide.

    Before I was born, my mom met with my biological mother and heard her story. Both of my biological parents had had really tough lives. They didn’t have the support or money to raise me. They really wanted me to have a stable, loving family—which is what I have now.

    That’s why I think adoption is really special. My parents do too. It’s never been a secret or something I was told not to share.

    For my whole life, I have known the story of my adoption. I was born at a hospital in Texas, and my parents brought me home to Wisconsin. That’s where I’ve lived ever since.

    Some people think that if you’re adopted, you must be mad at your biological parents. After all, they “gave you up.” But I don’t see it that way. My biological parents made a big sacrifice. They wanted me to have a better life than they could give me.

    Before I was born, my mom met with my biological mother and heard her story. Both of my biological parents had had really hard lives. They didn’t have the support or money to raise me. They wanted me to have a stable, loving family. And that’s what I have now.

    I think adoption is really special. My parents do too. It’s never been a secret.

    For my entire life, I’ve known the story of my adoption—how I was born at a hospital in Texas, and how my parents brought me home to Wisconsin, where I’ve lived ever since.

    Some people think that if you’re adopted, you probably  resent your biological parents for “giving you up.” But the way I look at it, my biological parents didn’t simply give me up. They made a tremendous sacrifice because they wanted me to have a better life than they could provide.

    Before I was born, my mom met with my biological mother and heard her story. Both of my biological parents had lived really difficult lives, and they didn’t have the support or resources they would need to raise me. They really wanted me to have a stable, loving family—which is what I have now.

    That’s why I think adoption is really special, and my parents do too. The fact that I’m adopted has never been a secret or something I was told not to share.

Different Families

Darren Hauck/Scholastic, Inc. via AP Images

Game Night
Marcus and his dad like to watch sports and play games together.

    To be honest, it would probably be hard to hide the fact that I’m adopted. That’s because I don’t really look like my parents. They’re both white. My biological mom was white too. But my biological father was black. That makes me biracial.

    Sometimes this confuses people. When they see me with one of my parents, they assume I’m with a stepparent. I just tell them, “Nope—this is my dad,” or “This is my mom.” I know they don’t mean any harm, so it doesn’t bother me.

    Plus, I’m lucky to live in a community that’s really diverse. My friends are all different races. And these days, people have families that are formed in so many different ways. Some kids are raised by single parents or grandparents. Others have two moms or two dads.

    I can proudly say that my own family was created by adoption.

    To be honest, it would be hard to hide the fact that I’m adopted. I don’t look like my parents. They’re both white. My biological mom was white too. But my biological father was black. That makes me biracial.

    Sometimes this confuses people. They see me with one of my parents and assume I’m with a stepparent. I just say, “Nope—this is my dad,” or “This is my mom.” I know they don’t mean any harm, so it doesn’t bother me.

    Plus, I’m lucky to live in a diverse community. My friends are all different races. And these days, families are formed in many different ways. Some kids are raised by single parents or grandparents. Others have two moms or two dads.

    I’m proud to say that my family was created by adoption.

    To be honest, it would probably be pretty difficult to hide the fact that I’m adopted. I don’t really look like my parents, who are both white. My biological mother was white too, but my biological father was black. That makes me biracial.

    When people see me with one of my parents, they sometimes get confused and assume I’m with a stepparent. I just tell them, “Nope—this is my dad,” or “This is my mom.” I know they don’t mean any harm, so that kind of mistake doesn’t bother me.

    Plus, I’m lucky to live in a community that’s really diverse. My friends are all different races. And these days, families can take a variety of different forms: Some kids are raised by single parents or grandparents, and others have two moms or two dads.

    I can proudly say that my own family was created by adoption.

Tracing Roots

    I’ve never really thought about what my life would be like if I weren’t adopted. Still, there are times when I think about my biological parents. I wonder what they’re like and if I’m like them. Are they athletic? Are their appetites as big as mine?

    We’ve never heard from my biological parents. But something really exciting did happen recently. I found out that I have an older half sister living in Seattle, Washington. She and I have the same biological father.

    Once we found her online, my mom reached out to her mom. They were so happy to hear from us. We started texting right away. Now, my mom and I are flying out to see them in a few weeks.

    I feel nervous, but mostly excited. I finally get to meet someone who shares my biological roots. I already know my half sister likes sports and listens to rap—just like I do. I can’t wait to find out what else we might have in common.

    I’ve never really thought about what my life would be like if I weren’t adopted. Still, there are times when I think about my biological parents. I wonder what they’re like and if I’m like them. Are they athletic? Are their appetites as big as mine?

    We’ve never heard from my biological parents. But something exciting did happen recently. I found out that I have an older half sister! She lives in Seattle, Washington. She and I have the same biological father.

    Once we found her online, my mom reached out to her mom. They were glad to hear from us. We started texting right away. Now, my mom and I are flying out to see them in a few weeks.

    I feel nervous but excited. I finally get to meet someone who shares my biological roots. I already know my half sister likes sports and listens to rap—just like I do. I can’t wait to find out what else we might have in common.

    I’ve never really imagined what my life would be like if I weren’t adopted. Still, there are moments when I wonder what my biological parents are like and if I’m like them. Are they athletic? Are their appetites as big as mine?

    We’ve never heard from my biological parents, but something really exciting did happen recently: I found out that I have an older half sister who lives in Seattle, Washington! She and I have the same biological father.

    Once we found her online, my mom contacted her mom. They were so happy to hear from us. We started texting immediately. Now, my mom and I are flying out to see them in a few weeks.

    I feel nervous, but mostly excited. I finally get to meet someone who shares my biological roots. I already know my half sister likes sports and listens to rap—just like I do. I’m looking forward to finding out what else we might have in common.

“Real” Parents

Courtesy of family

Happy Family
Marcus poses with his mom and dad after middle school graduation.

    Sure, I may be curious about where I came from. But there is never a moment when I don’t think of my mom, dad, and brother as my family. 

    Sometimes, people will ask me questions about my “real parents.” When they do, I explain that my real parents are the ones who have raised me these past 15 years. 

    They’re the ones I live with and the ones I love. I believe that’s what makes a group of people a family. 

    Sure, I’m curious about where I came from. But I always think of my mom, dad, and brother as my family.

    Sometimes, people ask me about my “real parents.” I tell them that my real parents are the ones who have raised me.

    They’re the ones I live with. They’re the ones I love. To me, that’s what makes a group of people a family.

    Although I’m curious about where I came from, there’s never a moment when I don’t think of my mom, dad, and brother as my family.

    Occasionally, someone will ask me questions about my “real parents.” When that happens, I explain that my real parents are the people who have raised me for the past 15 years.

    They’re the ones I live with, and they’re the ones I love. In my opinion, that’s really what makes a group of people a family.

ACTIVITY: 
Cause and Effect

You’ve just read “I Was Adopted.” Now it’s time to do this activity.

You’ve just read “I Was Adopted.” Now it’s time to do this activity.

You’ve just read “I Was Adopted.” Now it’s time to do this activity.

Tip: A cause is what makes something happen. An effect is what happens as a result.

Tip: A cause is what makes something happen. An effect is what happens as a result.

Tip: A cause is what makes something happen. An effect is what happens as a result.

What to do: Fill in the missing uses and effects below by writing your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

What to do: Fill in the missing causes and effects below by writing your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

What to do: Fill in the missing causes and effects below by writing your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Cause: Why did something happen?

Effect: What happened?

Cause: Why did something happen?

Effect: What happened?

Cause: Why did something happen?

Effect: What happened?

Cause: Marcus’s biological parents didn’t have enough money or support to raise a baby. 

Effect:

Hint: What did Marcus’s biological parents decide to do?

Cause: Marcus’s biological parents didn’t have enough money or support to raise a baby. 

Effect:

Hint: What did Marcus’s biological parents decide to do?

Cause: Marcus’s biological parents didn’t have enough money or support to raise a baby. 

Effect:

Hint: What did Marcus’s biological parents decide to do?

Cause:

Hint: Does Marcus look like his parents? Why or why not?

Effect: When Marcus is with one of his parents, people assume he’s with a stepparent.

Cause:

Hint: Does Marcus look like his parents? Why or why not?

Effect: When Marcus is with one of his parents, people assume he’s with a stepparent.

Cause:

Hint: Does Marcus look like his parents? Why or why not?

Effect: When Marcus is with one of his parents, people assume he’s with a stepparent.

Cause: Marcus’s mom reached out to his half sister’s mom.

Effect: 

Hint: Where are Marcus and his mom planning to go?

Cause: Marcus’s mom reached out to his half sister’s mom.

Effect: 

Hint: Where are Marcus and his mom planning to go?

Cause: Marcus’s mom reached out to his half sister’s mom.

Effect: 

Hint: Where are Marcus and his mom planning to go?

Cause: 

Hint: What do Marcus and his mom have in common?

Effect: Marcus’s mom understands what it’s like to be adopted, and they share a special bond.

Cause: 

Hint: What do Marcus and his mom have in common?

Effect: Marcus’s mom understands what it’s like to be adopted, and they share a special bond.

Cause: 

Hint: What do Marcus and his mom have in common?

Effect: Marcus’s mom understands what it’s like to be adopted, and they share a special bond.

Core Skills
Sequencing, Vocabulary, Cause and Effect
Format
True Teen Story
Topic
Social-Emotional Learning, Inspiration
Genre
Nonfiction
Content Type
Article
Lesson Plan (2)
Lesson Plan (2)
Text-to-Speech