It has been hard to watch Kenneth struggle as a birth dad in an open adoption. I wish my husband and I could make it easier for him, and for our son.
“Introducing Tessa to Her Birth Father”
After seven years, we decided to bring our daughter’s birth father back into her life. But was she ready for him?
“Why Don’t We Ever Visit My Birth Parents?”
After three domestic adoptions, we have three very different levels of openness with each of our children’s birth families.
Birth Parent Relationship Changes in the Teen Years
“We have a semi-open relationship with our 14-year-old son’s birth mother. Recently, he asked if we could invite her for a weekend. I trust his birth mom, but I’m worried.”
“When the Babysitter is…the Birth Mom!”
Though I’m indisputably my daughter’s mom, the time she spends with her birth mother seems to offer something I can’t.
“Mourning His Birth Mother with the Birth Family”
The tragic loss of our son’s birth mother was followed by a powerful new connection with his birth family.
“Intimate Strangers”: Birth Parent Contact in Foster Adoption
The 894 pages of my daughter’s foster care case history described her birth mother’s hard life, scarred by poverty, drug addiction, and homelessness. I never expected to meet her—much less like her.
Feeling Guilt Over the Birth Mom’s Grief
“Many parents feel guilty because their joy is the direct result of a difficult decision by the birth mother — someone you may have grown to care about. So when a new adoptive mother sees the birth mother in intense pain, she asks herself, ‘Was adoption really the right thing to do?'”
Birth Parent Search in International Adoption
Adoptive parents around the globe are seeking their children’s first families — even before these children voice an opinion on the matter. But do we know what we’re doing?
“How Our Family Approached Our Birth Parent Search”
Three families describe their relationships with their children’s birth parents — deciding to keep in touch, searching for birth parents, and managing an already open adoption.
Helping Family Understand Open Adoption
Your family — especially older relatives — may not get why you are choosing an open adoption. Adoption expert Kathleen Silber gives advice on what to say.
Open Adoption Over the Years
Parents involved in open adoptions speak honestly about working through challenges and keeping the relationship going through life changes.
“I Have a Birth Mom, Too” – How Children Can Explain Open Adoption to Friends
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Bringing Birth Fathers Into the Adoption Conversation
Answers to your parenting questions.
Breaking Bad News: “I Have Something to Tell You”
How do you break bad news about job loss, illness, or divorce to the birth parents in an open adoption relationship?
Not Open Adoption, Just Adoption
Practices once confined to open adoption are quickly becoming the norm. When will the language catch up?
“They Remembered Me”
A Korean adoptee learns that human nature doesn’t always follow perceived “best practices.”
“Our Son’s Birth Mother Is Having a Baby!”
Our youngest son’s birth mother is having a baby. How will all of our kids relate to this new birth sibling?
“Finding Her Birth Mother, A World Apart”
Opening our daughter’s international adoption has allowed her to ask questions and receive answers, brought her birth mother a sense of peace from knowing that her child is alive, well, and happy, and given us the unforgettable privilege of personally thanking our child’s birth mother.
Ask AF: Considering Open Adoption
Answers to your parenting questions.