Like all mixed race families in America, we face stereotyping as a matter of course. These six lessions have helped enrich my family.
Parent-to-Parent: Like Birth Mother, Like Child
We asked our readers: What talent or trait do you see in your child that must be from his or her birth family? Read the answers from adoptive parents.
Deciding on a Second Child
More might be merrier, but the family dynamic is sure to change.
Book Review: Kids, Parents, And Power Struggles: Winning For A Lifetime
This straightforward book is perfect for helping parents avoid emotional warfare.
Ask AF: Our Only Child Is Asking for a Sibling
An adoptive parent wonders how to respond to an only child who keeps asking for a sibling. Real parents share their advice and stories.
Ask AF: Family Interactions After Kinship Adoption
“We are adopting my sister-in-law’s teenage son after fostering him for five years. What can I say to her at family gatherings, to family who still don’t get that we’ll be his legal parents—and to my son, who hears all of this?”
When Parents Divorce
The breakup of a family can be especially hard for adopted teens. Here’s why.
Strengthening Your Family Around the Dinner Table
Want to strengthen your teen’s sense of belonging? Make family meals mandatory.
10 Simple Ways to Have a Happier Family
Wish you could slow down and take the time to really connect with your kids? Here’s how to slip small moments of love and closeness into the busiest days.
How Did Your First Child React to the Arrival of a Second?
How did you work through sibling issues/rivalries at the time of the adoption and in subsequent years? How about instances in which one child receives more attention than another or silly questions? (Is that your “real” sister?) Our readers respond.
“Where We All Belong”
When I was a teen, my parents decided to grow our family by adopting from foster care. How did it feel to suddenly gain four new brothers and sisters through adoption?
Ask AF: Roles and Titles in Kinship Adoption
“I adopted my grandson through a kinship adoption. He’s now six and has recently begun calling me ‘Mommy’ and saying he was in my tummy. Is this OK, or do I need to reiterate that I’m his grandmother?”
“More Love Is More Love”
In many families, relationships come without exact names. While adoption highlighted this truth, it was already a given in my family—and maybe in yours, too?
“Thankfully, My Son’s Personality Didn’t Come from Me”
When people have kids, they are often hoping their child will be just like them. In our case, we’re happy our son has beautiful characteristics that are all his own.
2016 Cover Photo Contest Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 Adoptive Families Cover Photo Contest! See the nine photos selected from more than 1,000 entries, and read stories from the proud parents.
“My Child, Myself”
What do we teach our children, and what are the born knowing?
Dealing with Divorce
How our children feel about a separation, and how we can help them cope.
“Is Blood Really Thicker Than Water?”
I could have merely been her stepmother, but Taylor and I chose to love each other. Not even adolescence can take that away from us.
Ask AF: When Grandparents Protest Adoption Disruption
We tried therapy, but, in the end, we found a childless family who adopted her. We are at peace with our decision. Our families are not. They say we gave up on our daughter.
Ask AF: A New Sister
We’ve been reading a Big Brother book to our three-year-old son (adopted at birth) to prepare him for the arrival of a six-week-old sister.