Most family trees are complex. Traditional roots become tangled with associations, separations, secrets, and other matters. Therefore, it can be a challenge for an obituary writer to determine who is related to the subject of an obituary. When an adoption expands a family tree, the answer is simple. Once an adoption is finalized, an adult becomes the legal parent, or parent, of a child. If your spouse or partner legally adopts your child, his or her role changes from stepparent to parent. The reason is because an adoption establishes a parent-child relationship equal to that of a biological child. Even if an adopted child and adoptive parent disown each other, due to a strained relationship, the parent-child relationship remains unbroken.

Since there is no difference between an adopted child and biological child in matters of the law, it is unnecessary to label a child as biological or adopted in an obituary. Instead, list children from oldest to youngest in the predeceased section or survivor section. If an adoption is generally known, an obituary writer might want to share the adoption story in the biographical section, though.

There are other factors to consider. For instance, the adopted child may reconnect with the birth mother. In that case, the obituary writer might want to mention the reunion in the biographical section. However, only adoptive parents should be labeled as parents in the obituary of an adopted child. Consider including the birth mother in the survivor section, as a special relationship, alongside the best friend and caregiver.

The task of an obituary writer is to give an accurate account of the life of the subject. The greatest reward is when current and future generations, from a complex family tree, cherish the memory of their loved one.

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