How to Contact a Distant Loved One

Getting in touch with a lost loved one can be a life-changing experience. Maybe you were separated from a sister or brother at birth. Possibly you lost touch with a stepfather or were given up for adoption at an early age. Whatever your reason for wanting to contact a distant loved one, there is no one right way to do so. However, keeping a few simple pointers in mind is vital in making the moment happen successfully.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A lost loved one
• Internet access
• Self control

1. First, decide the best way of approaching the situation. If you're looking for a cousin you lost touch with, your best bet may be to talk to the rest of your family. Find out who is still in contact with him or her and get their advice. It may just be a matter of passing along word that you're interested in rekindling a relationship.

2. If your family isn't supportive of your contacting a lost loved one, go about it yourself. Arm yourself with information. The Internet has made communication much easier and you'll find plenty of ways to contact a distant loved one.

3. Consider browsing for a distant loved one through social or business networking websites. See if they're on LinkedIn or have a MySpace or Facebook account. This is a great way to see where they're established and what is going on in their life before you decide to contact them.

4. A great way to locate a distant loved one is through a background check site or an online directory such as Switchboard. By simply typing in one's name and state, you can usually find their phone number or address. We don't recommend snooping on people, but when looking for someone you've lost contact with, it's a viable means of meeting up once again.

5. Plain old Google it. Search engines like Google or Yahoo! store countless entries and if your loved one ever posted anything online with their full name, you can probably find it. Be patient and look through search engine listings slowly, as not to miss anything important.

6. Have some tact. If you lost touch with your birth mother or father at an early age and wish to see them again, you may be able to look them up through public records or information from an adoption agency. If they're not interested in speaking with you, respect their choice.

Tips & Warnings

• Always respect your loved one's privacy.
• Never contact someone who doesn't want to be contacted. You'll only hurt yourself in the long run.

[playboyhunni]

on 7/18/2008 im helping my friend look for her aunt Elizabeth Ann Robinson born in 1954 but the thing is she was adopted in 1955 in the uk. so her name has obvisly changed im just wondering how we can still look for her as we dont know her name now, and the main thing is we cant afford to pay to look for her.we have tried nearly everything but no luck

[jea1]

on 3/28/2008 I think you article offers good information but In my case I am looking for my sibling that were taking away as babies about 30 years ago and unfortnately for me they have a very common last name but never the less I will continue my search for them.