While it makes sense to have the family’s current address and you should certainly verify with searchers that you will receive this information as part of the search fee, there are several reasons why the address isn't as important as you may think in being able to maintain contact with your family. Here are some that come to mind:

Have you received pictures of your child’s birth family where everyone looks like they are scowling, angry or terribly unhappy?  Do you then think maybe your contact is unwelcome or you are bothering them in some way?  

s part of the mission of Familias de Corazon, we provide adoptive families the opportunity to provide gift baskets to birth families three times per year.  Two visits during the year based on birth family location and one at Christmas. During a recent visit to Guatemala, I chatted with Fide about the deliveries of this year’s Christmas baskets.  I found her observations on the reactions of birth families to the gift baskets fascinating and wanted to share what she told me here.