Adoption, fostering and a bit complex!

[zeebrugge]

I was adopted as a baby in 1971 and lived with my adopted parents until March 1987 when they were both drowned in the Zeebrugge Ferry disaster. I was put in short term foster care and then long term foster care until I timed out on my 18th birthday.

I was allowed to visit my former home, on the day after the funeral, to collect my belongings but never stayed there again. When my aunt and uncle came back from Denver in 1989 they lived there for a while.

Now I can sort of understand why I wasn't in the will, being adopted rather than a birth child. But as somebody told me over Christmas, and why I am writing, surely I was left something. Did I really matter so little.

I missed it all

Yes, right up my street...

I really must start a spreadsheet.....

I cut and pasted for future reference.

Thank you, observant ones.

My head spins a bit at all this info, as I can never understand why anyone might want to build such elaborate tales here.

I do understand why people get upset and call this kind of posting "emotional vampiricism".

On the other hand, I also wonder about the original posters behind all these threads, especially those who describe sudden deaths in family/having difficult times in foster care. Maybe a kernel of truth lies behind these extraordinary stories? Or maybe it's all just attention seeking? Who knows?

It is pretty revolting Maryz. But then I believe the sort of people who write misery porn are generally emotional vampires too. The poster/posters are trying out story lines to see whether they appear authentic enough to pass as non-fiction and we fall for them, or whether they are too far-fectched and implausible and we call troll. They are also trying to obtain detailed information from genuine victims.

Maryz, I do see your point, and I'm really not seeking to defend anyone who has upset anyone else, especially people on the bereavement board.

Penandink maybe had it above "The local writers group of which I am a mere humble functionary introduced members to Mumsnet to encourage flash fiction entries in the annual competition. It was some time before I even realised that the messages I was reading were supposed to be genuine."

That certain people aren't EVEN emotional vampires - they are just crap writers who have the germ of an idea and get MNetters to flesh it out with personal view points, inputs on technical ie legal knowledge, and personal stories. Not vampires, who get off on this stuff, but people who are totally detached from what is written as they consider if it makes a good story or not. Like DM journalists for example....

It's like a Lesley Pearse novel...

:o