Switched at Birth

I thought this was a really good movie. I had seen it years ago when it was first released. I still catch it on reruns here and there. I felt for both families. Unfortunately hospital personnel weren't held accountable and both families suffered. Especially Kim. From the articles and stories I have read about her she has had a pretty rough life. Although as adults, we become responsible for our actions, I can't help but believe that she was traumatized and was affected by the consequences for the hospital's negligence. I hope eventually she is able to turn her life around and lead a somewhat normal one. For herself and the children she has. I believe I read that she has two children. The last article I read stated that she had gotten into prostitution. God be with you child and I hope everything works out for you.

I caught this on LMN the other night. I followed this story for a long time and it seemed to grow worse and worse with time. I have heard that Kimberly Mays has had a hard time and really, if I had gone through what she did, I would not be much better off. She loses her mom at 2, loses a stepmom at 5 or 6 and finds out that she had a "first mommy", finds out that she is not the biological child of the man who raised her since birth when she is 10 and was caught in this custody battle for years. I can understand why Bob Mays reacted as he did. Also, can understand the Twiggs and their need to know Kimberly. Plus, what Arlena had to go through in her short life. Kimberly, Arlena, Bob Mays, the Twiggs......there is no bad guy; they were all victimized in a situation that had not come to light since the days of Solomon. I hope Kim will be able to find some security and happiness despite what she has been through. The movie was also good and everyone did well. Kudos to all! Well done!

This movie was something I just happen to come across on a rainy day, and I am glad I did, this was an excellent movie, all the acting was well done! This is one I will love to watch again, and if this ever happened to me, or I was the lawyer representing the Twiggs, I would have said to only get visitation rights, because she may be their biological daughter, but your parents are the people who raised you, and that's the most important thing in your life! Other family dramas with this sort of situation I could really recommend are "Flight of the Navigator", "The Majestic", and the one episode of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' called "Suddenly Human". watch them all, they are all very good!

What to say about "Switched at Birth?" I've seen this movie at LEAST a half a dozen times, probably more. It doesn't take much to get sucked into this compelling story. All the actors involved did a wonderful job portraying the real-life Twig and Mays families. I don't know what it is about this story that makes it so compelling. I guess it's that what both families go through is so touching and they make it seem as raising the wrong child could just happen to anyone. Great acting by Bonnie Bedelia and a pre-Jurassic Park Ariana R

'Switched at Birth' is a two-part series based on the case of Kimberly Mays and Arlena Twigg who were accidentally switched shortly after their births in 1978. Both the Mays and Twigg families carry on unaware of this until Arlena falls ill with cardiac problems and blood tests reveal she cannot be the biological child of her parents Ernest and Regina Twigg. When Arlena succumbs to her condition at the age of nine, the Twiggs' then embark on a search to find their real daughter leading them to Kimberly who is living with her widower father Bob. As the custody battle begins, Kimberly finds herself caught between two families and Bob faces the possibility of losing the child he loves and cherishes as his own.

The adult leads all portrayed their roles well, fleshing out their characters, with Ariana Richards (better known as Lex in 'Jurassic Park') giving a touching performance as the bewildered and vulnerable Kimberly. She had a nice father/daughter rapport with Brian Kerwin, only enhancing the idea of how the young Kimberly never knew anyone other than Bob as her father.

In many ways, this is a very tragic film about how the selfishness of the Twigg family eventually shattered two families and ripped a young girl's life apart. Motivated only by their own needs to know their biological daughter to replace the child they had just lost, they paid no heed to the fact Kimberly was just a little girl who wasn't ready to deal with the emotional ramifications of the truth around her birth. Instead, they barged into her life, forcing Bob Mays into endless court battles as they pursued full custody of Kimberly and creating a media frenzy around the story.

Unlike the fictional film 'The Face on the Milk Carton', where the biological family let go when they see the trauma they are putting their child through, 'Switched at Birth' shows the results of what happens when selfish parents put a confused young girl through a custody battle. It does leave the audience considering how things could have gone much smoother if the Twiggs had only sought visitation rights or stayed away until Kimberly was older and more able to deal with things. It also leaves one wondering if Bob would have been so wrong to have ran off with his daughter until she was eighteen. Having read how Kimberly is now leading a destitute, unstable life, barely able to keep a roof over her head and maintain a job, this film goes a long way to explaining the contributing factors to her life as an adult today.