Taylor and Bob Shennett: A Father-Daughter Journey
Photo courtesy of Taylor.
By Nanchang Project, Taylor Shennett, and Bob Shennett
Taylor Shennett (she/her)
Adoptee, 29
From YiYang, Hunan; Living in Orlando, FL
Instagram: @taylorshennett
Bob Shennett (he/him)
Adoptive Father
From Philadelphia, PA; Living in Sarasota, FL
Continue to Part 2: In a companion Q&A, Taylor and Bob answer questions about adoption, identity, birth family search, living in China, and the relationship they have built over nearly three decades as father and daughter.
My dad and I always joke that we are each other’s favorite travel companions since our first journey home from China together!
Taylor and I share a very special bond. The time we spent together in China during the adoption process brought us together uniquely and powerfully. Those first days and weeks were the beginning of a relationship built on trust, love, and shared experiences.
Adoptee advocate, speaker, and content creator, Taylor Shennett, uses her platform to encourage conversations about adoption and highlight the layered and multifaceted truths held by adoptees. Taylor shares a unique relationship with her father, Bob Shennett. Years ago Bob travelled by himself to China to meet Taylor for the first time before bringing her home to meet the rest of her family and for them to meet her.
Our immediate family consists of me, my wife Kelly, our daughter Taylor, and our daughter Nicole.
The timing of our family coming together is a story in itself. Just one week before Nicole was born, we learned that we had been matched with Taylor in China. Suddenly, we found ourselves preparing for two babies at once—buying a second crib, a second high chair, a double stroller, and everything else that comes with growing a family.
Six weeks after Nicole was born, I boarded a plane to China to bring Taylor home. Although Nicole arrived first, Taylor is actually seven months older.
Taylor’s parents’ journey began long before the family of four first united. Following extensive fertility testing, they sought to give a child in need of a home the love they had in such abundance.
After years of fertility testing, Kelly and I were told we were not able to have children. God opened the door and led us down the path of adoption. We chose China because there was a tremendous need at the time. We had hoped to adopt a little girl and were drawn to the opportunity of international adoption. As we learned more about the children waiting in China, the decision became clear.
Shennett family. Taylor, Bob, Nicole, and Kelly. Photo courtesy of Taylor.
Taylor’s family has seized every opportunity to give her access to her heritage, taking on the uncertain and unknown to give her that chance. A big leap of faith, but an experience Bob describes as one of the best decisions their family has ever made.
We had always hoped to bring Taylor back to her birth country someday. We wanted her to experience the place where her story began, but we had no idea how we would make that happen. We simply trusted that if it was meant to be, God would provide a way.
That opportunity came when my company asked for volunteers to relocate to China for a two year assignment. I raised my hand and was selected as part of the first wave of foreign leaders sent to work there. What began as a two year project ultimately turned into seven years.
Moving, living, and working internationally was one of the most challenging experiences of our lives. The language barrier alone created daily obstacles, and everything was different: the food, the sounds, the customs, the traditions, and the culture. We quickly learned that many of the assumptions and routines we had relied upon no longer worked. We had to develop a great deal of adaptability, humility, and patience as we learned to navigate a completely different world.
There were incredible joys as well. We formed deep friendships, immersed ourselves in Chinese culture, traveled throughout the country, and watched Taylor develop a deeper connection to her heritage. Living in China allowed us to move beyond what we had learned from books or adoption classes and experience the richness, beauty, and complexity of Chinese culture firsthand.
We also experienced significant hardship and loss during our years there. Yet when we look back, we consider it one of the best decisions we ever made, even though it was also one of the hardest. Sometimes the experiences that stretch us the most are the ones that shape us the deepest.
Living in China strengthened our faith and taught us to trust God more and rely less on our own plans and abilities. It taught us to value people over possessions and relationships over accomplishments. Perhaps most importantly, it reminded us that despite differences in language, culture, and geography, we are far more alike than we are different.
As adoptive parents, living in China gave us a greater appreciation for the culture that shaped the first chapter of Taylor's life. It helped us understand that adoption is not just about bringing a child into a family, it is also about honoring and embracing the culture and history that are part of that child's story.
Taylor, Bob, and Kelly Shennett on The Today Show in May 2026. Photo courtesy of Taylor.
The unique opportunity to live 7 formative years in her birth country gave Taylor a singular chance to begin understanding her identity while immersed in the country and culture of her birth. As Bob reflects, it also gave him and his wife perspective as adoptive parents into embracing Taylor’s heritage. But this 7-year stint in China was only part of what strengthened the family’s relationship amid life’s challenging seasons and Taylor’s own curiosity about her birth family and herself.
When Taylor and Nicole were young, they were inseparable. They were truly best friends and did everything together. They played for hours, held hands wherever they went, and seemed happiest when they were side by side. Watching their relationship during those early years was one of the great joys of our family life. As they entered adolescence, however, our family faced some significant challenges. Like many families, we experienced seasons of conflict, hurt feelings, and changing relationships.
For Taylor, adolescence also coincided with questions surrounding identity, adoption, and where she fit in the world. Those were not easy years for any of us. There were times when the girls struggled in their relationship, and there were periods when Taylor and Kelly struggled to communicate and understand one another.
One of the ways Taylor and Kelly navigated those difficult years was through a journal that they shared. When talking face-to-face felt too difficult, they would write letters back and forth to each other. Kelly would leave the journal on Taylor’s bed, she would write a response, and then leave it on Kelly’s. That journal allowed them to express feelings that were sometimes hard to say out loud and became an important bridge in their relationship.
As Taylor grew older and began to better understand her own story and identity, many things started to change. Living in China as a family, returning to her hometown, and supporting her desire to learn more about her beginnings helped us all grow closer and understand one another more deeply. Those experiences reinforced our commitment to one another and reminded us that families are built not only through shared joys, but also through perseverance during difficult seasons.
Taylor started her birth family search in 2015 with a 23andMe test. The following year, Taylor, along with her parents, sister, and three friends, began an in-person search in Hunan.
From the moment I shared with my parents that I was interested in finding my biological family, they immediately started finding ways to help and support me in the search… Since then, my parents have continuously supported my various searches and have always expressed that if or when we find them, we will go to China immediately.
Taylor and Bob Shennett. Photos courtesy of Taylor.
As many adoptees can attest, love can move mountains, but alone it is not enough to sustain us or nurture our sense of belonging and connection. Empathy, support, and conversation are often desired and often unfulfilled. But Taylor and her family have navigated difficult discussions and difficult seasons of life to support her in her birth family search, understanding of identity, and connection with her birth culture.
Our adoption story serves as a constant reminder that we loved her before we knew her and that we were willing to travel to the ends of the world for her. That message has always been important to us: Taylor was never an accident, and she was never a second choice - she is our Chosen Child.
Today, our family relationships look different from when the girls were young, but there is love, respect, and understanding between us. Like all families, our story has included both beautiful moments and hard ones. Looking back, I am grateful for all of it because it helped shape each of us into who we are today.
Over the years, Taylor and I have shared many adventures together—including returning to China and living there for seven years as a family. Through all of life's seasons, we have remained close. To this day, she is my favorite travel partner. Whether we are exploring a new city, navigating a foreign country, or simply spending time together, I treasure every opportunity we have to create new memories.
Throughout this journey, one theme appears again and again: connection requires more than good intentions. It requires listening, honesty, curiosity, and a willingness to continue growing alongside one another. While every adoptee's experience is different, the questions at the heart of Taylor and Bob's story—about identity, belonging, family, and understanding—are ones that many in our community continue to explore.
In Part 2, Taylor and Bob answer questions about those experiences in their own words, reflecting on adoption, birth family search, cultural connection, and the father-daughter relationship they have built over nearly three decades.
The views expressed in blog posts reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the shared views of The Nanchang Project as a whole.
Our blog stories come from readers like you!
We invite you to send us your own story to share. We accept submissions from anyone whose life may have been touched by Chinese international adoption including, but not limited to: adoptees, adoptive families, birth families, friends, searchers.
Details in the link below!
