Birthparent Cathy Crossno tells the story of how she came to place her daughter for adoption, and how she was able to build a strong relationship with both her daughter and her daughter's adoptive parents. Cathy acknowledges the complexities of relationships within the adoption triad, while highlighting ways to honor birthparents in closed adoption and finding positive ways to navigate open adoption relationships. The discussion includes information for birthparents on how they can advocate for their wants and wishes and will give the audience the tools to help adopted children build a strong sense of self-identity.