Adopted.

I didn't see a thread like this, which kind of surprised me, but anyway.

I'm adopted, and so is my younger brother from a different family. I've known my whole life I was adopted, so there was never a "big reveal" or anything like the ones they love showing in tv shows and movies. My mom couldn't have children, so they eventually turned to adoption. My brother and I both look relatively like my parents, and it was a closed adoption from birth so I've never met them or really know anything. Technically my mom had more information, but she lost it when she was packing up lots of our important papers back in the early thousands when we had tons of hurricanes down here in Florida. I have about one picture, and a terrible picture at that, and a few little tidbits from my mom from what she vaguely remembers.

Technically once I was 18 I could fill out some paperwork to get more information, but I haven't yet and I don't even know if I really want to. I do want to find out some information, like my actual heritage, do I have siblings/half-siblings, family disease history, etc. But I don't know if I want to go so far as meeting them. I think they were quite young (18/19 I believe?) and possibly still in high school. I was born roughly two hours away from here so there's a pretty good chance there still live really close by.

I think it would be really interesting to see and meet someone who will look oddly like me, and I've always been fascinated with the nature/nurture debate so I'd love to see if there's anything personality wise I got from them.

But I'm still pretty terrified, though I might at least try filling out that paperwork soon.

I'd love to hear more from other adopted kids, did it affect you an anyway, do you know your biological parents, anything you'd like to share.

I'm so glad I saw this! I never get to talk about this.
I'm adopted, but it's a little different for me -- my aunt and uncle took me in when I was little. My dad died of a heroin overdose when I was three, and my biological mother was murdered when I was a few months old. I know next to nothing about her, aside from her having two other daughters and that she was a prostitute. That whole side doesn't really bother me -- I don't remember her, I have one very small picture of her and I didn't even know her name until I was like sixteen, after my uncle had told me a lot about my biological parents in a fit of rage (he was also an addict, so). My dad is different --I remember him, and it was a really hard transition after he died, him and my being twins and their personalities being so different -- at least, to my memory. I get in this mood sometimes where it's really hard to deal with, but it isn't often. I've mostly come to terms with it.
My aunt (who I began to call my mom -- and why not?) had three daughters with her first husband, and they're all older than me. A lot of the time I do feel very...I don't know if left out is the phrase? I can just sort of tell, and they've been telling me for years that I shouldn't feel that way, and I honestly didn't until they began to bring it up. It's really rough sometimes.
I would also really love to figure out my heritage, medical history, that sort of thing. People ask me all the time what my nationality is, and I just say Irish and Italian -- partly because I know that is true on my dad's side, but also because my 'mom' and sisters are as well. Is that even possible?
I never know when the right time to tell my friends is. It's not like they all need to know but it's important, you know? It isn't a secret, just weird to talk about.

@ cannibal specter;
Your situation is a lot like my aunt's. When her mother passed away, her dad kind of lost it and her uncle and aunt adopted her. She called her aunt "Mom" as well.

And of course your nationality can be Irish and Italian. Culture might be more technically appropriate since you aren't from either country, but you have the blood of one and were raised in the other.

I've always known I was adopted.

My biological mother was a nasty alcoholic, and there are rumors that my father raped her, that I'm the byproduct, although no one can say who he is for certain.

I was taken in by a wonderful family when I was two days old and I've been with them every since––I was and still am extremely blessed. Which is not to say that I haven't had my share of hardships, because I have. Depression is my biggest demon, and in my battle with it, I've done everything I know of to deal. Almost a year ago - or two? - I began the habit of trying to excise it from my veins in the literal physical sense, and even though I still struggle with these demons, I try to wear my scars without shame, because I know that I was given these challenges for a reason.

Ummmm. It really helps that seven of my siblings are also adopted. We've never had to face discrimination, at least not directly, thanks to our parents overprotectiveness and whatnot [not all of them think of that as a blessing, lol].

Does being adopted by your grandparents count? If so, I am adopted. I've always known though. My mom was 19 when she had me and I guess she didn't want to take care of me. My dad didn't want me at all and was going to give me to his parents. My mom's parents went for custody though. It's kind of weird though at times. I call my grandparents mom and dad and call my mom mama. As for my biological dad, I learned who he was and actually saw him by accident when I was 16. I talked to him a little bit on Facebook, but otherwise didn't care to know much about him. I did learn that I had an older brother.