Taking my daughter to visit her birth mother, I found that, while shared genes make them alike in some ways, it’s shared experiences that make us family.
Birth Fathers: The Forgotten Half of the Story
Biological fathers get short shrift in fairy tales and real life. But their exclusion can have legal and emotional consequences.
“Open Adoption Works for Us”
From a rocky start, we’ve built a relationship with our children’s birth families that has enriched their lives, and ours.
When Your Child Has Birth Siblings
Parents who know that one child was placed for adoption while a sibling was not may wonder how to explain it in a way their child can understand.
[Book Review] A Long Way Home
An incredible true story that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
[Book Excerpt] Mamalita
Read a chapter of Jessica O’Dwyer’s adoption memoir Mamalita.
Ask AF: Telling Family About a Birth Child
Kathleen Silber answers a question from a woman who placed a birth child for adoption years ago, and wonders how and when to tell her family.
A Birth Mother on The Open Adoption “Covenant”
Treat birth family as if they were extended family members: your child will benefit.
When a Birth Parent Moves On
It’s not that she doesn’t care, it’s that life takes twists and turns.
The Open Adoption Family Dynamic
As more of us live with open adoption, we’re seeing how it plays out in daily life — and bumping into some unanticipated wrinkles.
In Search of Identity
It’s not unusual for teens to start thinking more about their birth parents. In fact, it’s normal.
Dear Birth Mother
You’ve agreed to provide updates to your baby’s birth mother. But now that your baby is home, what information do you share?
Contact with Birth Parents
We just brought our newborn home and are wondering how to communicate with his birth mother. How do we start?
Ask AF: Contacting a Birth Mother
A parent asks whether contacting her child’s birth mother while the child is still a preteen is a good idea. Read Ronny Diamond’s response.
Ask AF: Writing to a Birth Father
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Uncomfortable Level of Contact with Birth Family
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: After a Birth Family Reunion
Open adoption expert Kathleen Silber answers a question from a mother who feels like her son prefers his birth mother since their reunion.
Ask AF: Ending the Comparison
An adoptive parent asks about a birth mother continuously pointing out physical resemblances, and wonders how to smooth out an open adoption arrangement. Read Joyce Maguire Pavao, Ed.D.’s response.
Proceeding with Caution in Birth Family Search
Adoptive parents sometimes initiate birth parent searches before their children are emotionally prepared to deal with the results.
Ask AF: Children Separated by a Fost/Adopt
A mother wonders how much contact is best for her son and his biological siblings. Jayne Schooler weighs in.