People kept taking us, a threesome of foster kids, into their homes. But we never stuck.
A Tale to Treasure
Follow these pointers to capture your child’s adoption story in a personalized picture book.
Ask AF: Limited Information About Birth Family
My 5-year-old has been asking a lot about her birth father recently, but I only have information about her birth mother.
Helping Your Child Understand a New Sibling
How to prepare your child for a new sibling.
A Growing Awareness
Between the ages of nine and 12, children register the meaning of adoption–and this can bring harder questions and more complex emotions. AF takes a look at what’s going on in the minds of preteens, and offers advice for talking with them.
Ask AF: Talking About Adoption in School
We’re moving to a much smaller and less diverse town. I would like to talk to give an adoption talk at her school, but she seems embarrassed by this idea.
Talking Matters
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.
Ask AF: Invasion of Privacy
We have emphasized that our kids should choose whether to share (or not) their adoptive status, but some of our friends don’t seem to get it and tell others.
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.
Q&A: Bryan and Angela Tucker of Closure
After a lifetime of wondering who? and why?, an adoptee set out to find some answers. The award-winning documentary that follows her birth family search has already sparked thousands of dialogues.
“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.
How to Explain Adoption to Family and Friends
The way you respond to questions like, “What is adoption?” can influence how a person understands adoptive families–and explains them to others. Use these ideas to correct misinformation and set a positive tone.
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.
Adoption Scrapbooks: A Link to the Past
An adoption scrapbook lets parents and children create a sense of history and of belonging.
“Do Fan Dances and Tea Ceremonies Really Teach Us Anything?”
The museum view of culture and heritage ignores the realities of life as a racial minority. But there is a middle ground.
Answering Tough Questions
As your teen’s thinking becomes more sophisticated, she’ll want to know more about her adoption.
Special Report: Adoption & Teens — Parenting Strategies
Adoptive Families explores common situations you may face while parenting your adopted teen.