If you look like your child, you may be spared inquisitive glances or nosy questions about adoption from strangers. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to discuss the topic.
Answering Kids’ Questions About Reproduction
Kids’ questions about sex are a tad more complicated when adoption is involved. Here, our experts give you the answers you need.
“Was I Alone in the Hospital?”
Seeing where she was born—where she stayed with her birth mom and where we met her—gave my daughter greater confidence in her adoption story.
Is Adoption Sad?
We may feel one way or the other, but it’s our kids who must decide.
The Evolving Conversation
Should parents initiate talk about adoption or wait for their child’s questions? Sometimes you lead, say the authors, and sometimes you follow.
Ask AF: Grandparent Adoption
I adopted my grandson eight years ago, and he has no idea that I’m his grandmother.
Why Didn’t They Keep Me?
Answering kids’ questions about birth parents.
Special Report: Adoption & Teens — Parenting Strategies
Adoptive Families explores common situations you may face while parenting your adopted teen.
Ask AF: Explaining the Birth Mother Relationship
My husband and I have a friendly relationship with the birth mother of our 3-year-old daughter. We talk on the phone, exchange letters regularly, and visit a few times a year.
Big Tummies, Big Questions
Don’t let your preschooler catch you off-guard! Be prepared to talk about the birds, the bees, and adoption.
Flights of Fantasy
Imaginative play can bring your preschooler hours of fun — and offer a window into her adoption story.
Ask AF: Sex Education Assistance
Can you recommend some books that will help us explain the facts of life?
Your Earliest Adoption Conversations
Not sure when — or how — to bring up adoption with your toddler or preschooler? Here’s where to begin.
Ask AF: Too Young to Understand Birth Family?
We have an open adoption with our 30-month-old son’s birth family. Last night we were looking at a photo album.
Starting the Adoption Conversation
Keep talks with your child simple and relaxed. Your ease with discussing adoption lays the groundwork for a lifelong dialogue.
Talking with Children about Adoption
Is it what you say, how early you say it, or how often you say it that matters most to your child? Barbara Russell gives tips on talking about adoption with your child.
Gearing Talks to Your Child’s Development
Let what your child can understand about adoption guide what you tell him about his story.
Ask AF: Explaining Adoption to a Special-Needs Child
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Not Too Late to Tell
Our son is four. We adopted him at birth. I know that you’re supposed to talk about adoption from an early age–but the years kept going by and we failed to do so. Did we wait too long?
Ask AF: Biracial and Multiracial Identity
My daughter’s birth parents are Caucasian and African-American. How should we talk with her about race? How do we fill out forms that ask about race and allow you to check only one box?