A step-by-step plan to help adoptive parents plan successful outings for children and their friends.
Parents Share: What My Child’s Friends Want to Know About Adoption
Parents share the questions their children have been asked by friends and classmates over the years, from being in an orphanage to whether they know their “real” parents.
“But How Did He Know About My Mama?”
When my transracially adopted son was teased about adoption at school, he came home upset—and also bewildered about how his friend could have known. When I heard this (and when it came out that he wasn’t wholly innocent in the exchange), was it wrong that my reaction turned from anger to laughter?
The Wrong Crowd?
An adolescent’s peers may tell you something about their inner life.
Helping Teens with Transitions
Avoid sit down lectures and look for teachable moments to get your teen to open up.
When Boys are Bullies and Girls Are Mean
If your child is the giver or receiver of unkind behavior, read on.
“A Balanced View of Adoption”
With such a spectrum of opinions about adoption, it’s hard to know if we talk about it too much, or not enough, and in the right way. But watching my son navigate adoption comments at school reassured me of his comfort with it.
Sometimes Making Friends Takes Practice
Some children seem to know the rules naturally, others need a little help.
A New Home, New Fears
A family move can be hard for any child.
Friendships with Fellow Adoptees
Adoptive parents share whether their children have friends who are also adoptees and, if so, how the children met.
Ask AF: Child Wishes She Had an Open Adoption
“My daughter, who was adopted internationally, has been saying she wishes she got to see her birth mother, like her close friend who has a very open adoption. What can I say to her?”
Ask AF: When Children Face Adoption Questions and Stigma at School
“After my daughter told classmates that she was adopted, they responded that they ‘feel sorry’ for her. What can I do to help?”
Ask AF: My Child Was Told by Peers That She’s “Not Really Chinese”
A parent reaches out for help after taunting at school left her daughter feeling shaken to the core and that she doesn’t belong anywhere. An adult adoptee and transracial adoption expert offers advice.
Ask the Transracial Parenting Expert: Helping Teens Answer Questions About Race
“Last week, my teenage son told me that he was tired of having to explain himself wherever he goes. Why is this happening, and how can I help him?”
Wanting to Be Like Everyone Else
Your preteen just wants to be cool. But how can he, when he’s “different”?
Helping Your Teen Survive Cliques
Sometimes teens feel left out of the in crowd. Here’s how to help.
Ask AF: Tweens and Teasing
My middle schoolers often get teased about the way they look or the fact that they were adopted. What can they say to the teasers?
Friendship Lessons
Expert tips for adoptive parents to help your child make and maintain peer relationships.
Adoption Support Groups for Teens
An adoption support group can provide a safe and comfortable venue for your teen to explore adoption and his larger identity in a new, more complex way.
Helping Your Child with Peer Exclusion
Parents cannot prevent their child from experiencing exclusion or feeling “different” from time to time. You can, however, lessen the negative effects of this common occurrence during the preteen years.
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