To commemorate their 30th anniversary, Open Adoption & Family Services asked teen and young adult adoptees to share their experiences via video diaries. Learn what it has been like to grow up knowing their birth parents, how their families talk about adoption, how they talk with friends and others about adoption, their parents’ and birth parents’ relationships, and how they would like to see adoption evolve.

Here is a sampling of their words:

I don’t have to go on this soul-searching journey to find out who my parents really are, where I’m really from. I already know; it’s already laid out for me. I know where I came from and I know who I am now.”

I have all my pieces. I’m not missing anything.”

I believe in things more easily and I’m more accepting because, like, I have four parents, three siblings across the world. And, if I can have that, why can’t you have what you want at the same time. It just all works out.”

I don’t think closed adoptions are the right thing to do and should be avoided.”

We’re family, you know. I would say that [my parents and birth parents] have formed a very strong friendship, but that doesn’t even begin to cover what we have. We really are family.”

We have tons of photos of my birth family all over the house.”

Adoption has never been a secret or anything terrible or, nothing hanging over your head. It’s always been, actually, an added bonus to our lives.”

Click below to play the open adoption video:

[video_player type=”youtube” youtube_remove_logo=”Y” width=”560″ height=”315″ align=”center” margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”20″]aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g/dj14eGlqY19qdDBDMCZmZWF0dXJlPXlvdXR1LmJl[/video_player]