Megan Pleva

Intergenerational trauma is often spoken about as something emotional or symbolic, as though it's carried through stories, attitudes, or family dynamics alone. In reality, trauma travels far more quietly and far more deeply than that. It moves through the body, through stress-response systems, and through patterns of connection formed before language, memory, or conscious thought.

Today we are sharing a fictional first-person story written from the perspective of an adopted person. While the details are imagined, the experiences it reflects are drawn from themes that many adoptees recognise and describe in their own words.

January often brings a noticeable shift in family life. Social plans fall away, routines resume, and households spend more time together inside.