A man who was switched at birth more than 30 years ago said that resented his biological mom for not making things right even if the families found out about the mistake two years later.
Robin Dawkins was born at the Nigel Hospital in Johannesburg in 1989 and grew up with a single mother, Sandy Dawkins, who struggled to raise her child. The only other baby born in the same hospital that day was Gavin Parker, who grew up in a wealthy family, according to The Mirror.
But a paternity dispute involving the Parker family two years after the babies were born led to the truth. Meg Clinton Parker was not the biological mother of Gavin.
They were able to trace Robin's real identity from the hospital records and found out that their tags were likely swapped at the nursery. However, in an interview with "60 Minutes Australia," the mothers agreed not to switch their children back.
Understanding His Biological Mom
Robin said that he wished his biological mother fought to have him back to correct the mistake of being switched at birth. The man said that he resented the fact that Gavin had an easy life while he had to work hard for everything with Sandy since they are a poor family.
He also said that he started to really resent his real mother at 15 years old as he had trouble accepting why she did not take him back before. However, now that he is in his 30s and has become a parent himself, Robin finally understood Meg's decision to let Sandy keep him.
Robin said that there's no way he would give back a baby switched at birth. For him, there is no point in knowing the other child since "what I've got is good."
He also said that it will be hard to reject a baby whom he considered as his own for two years. Though both Meg and Sandy were shocked at the discovery, in the beginning, the mothers were eventually drawn to the baby they've raised since birth.
Robin and Gavin grew 500 kilometers apart in South Africa. Despite their different lives and backgrounds, they have referred to each other as brothers. Meg and Sandy, on the other hand, regarded each other as sisters.
Thanking His Lucky Stars Every Day
Meanwhile, Gavin said that he wakes up thanking his lucky stars every day for the life he's had. While he landed with a rich family by accident, he said that he doesn't regret being switched at birth.
Meg, on the other hand, has kept in touch with Robin for most of his life. In 2004, she convinced him to move in with them but then Robin said he turned into someone else because he was trying very hard to live up to the expectations of his biological mom.
When Robin turned 18, he decided to move further north, away from his family to find a job and to find himself. Gavin said, at that time, he wanted to kill Robin because Meg was devastated by his decision.
Robin eventually returned home to introduce his wife and son to his Meg, Sandy and Gavin. This unusual family have since rebuilt their relationships after years of heartaches.
