Features
The Evolving Conversation
Should parents initiate talk about adoption or wait for their child’s questions? Sometimes you lead, say the authors, and sometimes you follow.
Adoption and Social Media
Facebook has dramatically changed the way information is exchanged in adoption. Experts and parents offer advice on navigating social media.
Baby Care and Bonding
Expert answers to all your common questions about sleeping, feeding, bonding, and more, with an eye to facilitating a strong attachment.
Personal Essays
“Our Stages of Labor and Delivery“
I wasn’t able to give birth to my child. But my complex emotions during the adoption process mirrored those felt by biological women undergoing labor.
“Pulling Back in Open Adoption“
After a bump in the relationship with our daughter’s birth mother, we’re learning lessons about love, patience, and acceptance.
“More Than Meets the Eye“
Telling strangers about my children’s origins, their histories, and how we ‘got them’ through adoption is not obligatory. Stories belong to those who live them.
“Open Adoption Is“
For our family, open adoption is peach roses, scrambling to buy bottles, and feeling out our relationship with the birth mom.
Growing Up Adopted
The Early Years: Finding a Pediatrician
How to find the right doctor to care for your newly adopted child.
Preschool: Preparing for a Sibling
Adding a family member is always a joyful event. Here’s how to make the transition.
Elementary: Heritage Travel
Taking a homeland trip , whether it’s to China or to Chicago, can help your child understand who they are and who they can be.
Middle & High School: Support Groups
As teens work through their adoption stories and the search for identity, being around other adoptees can help.
The Experts
Birth Fathers’ Rights
Your child’s birth father is an integral part of his adoption story, and has rights that need to be taken into account.
Explaining Tough Birth Parent News
Bad news about a birth parent — like relapse or a medical issue — can be difficult to explain to your child.
Discipline Strategies That Work
Our older child adoption expert explains what works, and what is sure to fail when disciplining your child.
Managing Dry Skin
If your child’s skin is red, dry, and itchy, he could be suffering from eczema.
Departments
ASK AF
AF PHOTO CONTEST: Halloween Photos and Reader’s Choice Winners
PARENT-TO-PARENT: The Home Study
Thank You to This Issue’s Sponsors:
Adoption Services Associates
Adoption ARC
Americans for International Aid and Adoption
Dillon International
Sesame Place
Adopt From Poland
Adoptions From The Heart
AJ Panda
Associated Services for International Adoption
Beacon House Adoption Services
Bethany Christian Services
Cascadia Training for Professional Development
Children’s Connections, Inc.
Children’s Health
Children’s Home Society of Minnesota
Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Ronald S. Federici & Associates
European Adoption Consultants
Frank Adoption Center
Inova Children’s Hospital
The Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project in Eastern Europe
Spence-Chapin
Susan Parr Travel
Valley Health System
World Association for Children and Parents