If you’re feeling squeamish about disciplining your child, remind yourself why you must.
Ask AF: An Invasive Assignment
An adoptive parent asks how to react to her middle schooler’s assignment to write a report about his birth. Adoption at school expert Lansing Wood offers guidance on speaking with the teacher.
Oh, Brother! Oh, Sister!
Adding another child to your family can be exhilarating. But first, you’ll have to prep your preschooler.
Sticky Assignments
From requests for baby pictures to making family trees, adopted kids face challenges in the classroom. Here’s how to help.
Rethinking Priorities During the Holiday Season
Your newly adopted baby needs a safe, stable environment in order to develop trust and bond. Here are ways to keep the chaos of the holidays at bay.
Why Preschoolers Need Limits
Many of us want to indulge our children with gifts and leniency. But that’s not what kids need.
New Family Values
As more singles and gay and lesbian couples are becoming parents by way of adoption, their children may face questions from their schoolmates or tough class projects. Here’s how families thrive.
Ask AF: Graduating from the Family Bed
Answers to your parenting questions.
A Memo to My Fellow Teachers
When it comes to adoption, instructors need to check their curriculum and their stereotypes.
Feeling Like Part of the Extended Family
The more you involve the grandparents (and aunts, uncles, and cousins, too) in you adoption process, the more your child feels like part of the clan.
From Their Mouths to Our Ears
It’s never too early to assess our children’s speech and language development — and to seek support if needed.
Ask AF: Sleep Disturbances
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Building Relationships
Our toddler bonded very quickly with our immediate family, but she still refuses to allow anyone else to hold her, including our relatives. Is this normal for a two-year-old?
Ask AF: Helping Kids who Feel “Different”
Your preteen wants to fit in, but how can she when she’s “different”? AF explains how parents can help.
Ask AF: Talking About Sex & Marriage
Ronny Diamond discusses introducing conservative views on sex and marriage to your adopted child, without appearing to judge their birth family.
Ask AF: A Fantasy Father
Ronny Diamond discusses fantasy play in adopted children. In this case, a single mother worries about the imaginary “father” her daughter talks about.
Ask AF: Night Wakings
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Post-Adoption Services
An adoption expert answers a question about post-adoption services after finalization, and whether parents can get help for a special needs child.
The Many Benefits of Mentoring for Adopted Teens
An adopted teenager may find it easier to open up to an adoptee mentor than to a parent, and mentoring a younger adopted child can bring joy and confidence.
The Fantasy Parent
Ever heard, “My real mother wouldn’t make me do that”? Don’t despair. All kids, adopted or not, conjure a fantasy parent from time to time.