How to answer this and other questions about how families are formed.
Did I Grow in Your Tummy?
Three-year-olds are fascinated by pregnancy and families. Here’s how to have a “tummy talk” with your adopted child.
When Your Child Stops Talking About Adoption
Has your grade-schooler suddenly gone silent on adoption? Here’s how to keep the conversation going.
The Adoption Expert? Your Child
Be alert for clues about how much information your preschooler can absorb.
The Resilient Child
Don’t allow your child’s feelings about adoption to go underground.
The Good and Bad of Being “Chosen”
How to make sure your child feels good about being adopted.
“What If You Die, Mommy?” — And Other Hard Questions
Confronting your own fears is the first step toward helping your child deal with hers.
Keep the Adoption Conversation Going
Let your child know you are open to talking about her birth family.
Freeing Your Child To Feel
The child that doesn’t talk about adoption may have emotions that need to be explored.
Should You Tell All?
Think carefully before sharing your child’s story with others.
Orphan Lit
From Anne of Green Gables to Harry Potter, orphans are a staple of children’s literature. Here’s how to help your child make sense of it all.
A Letter to Your Child’s Teacher
Even a teacher sensitive to adoption may benefit from having words to say.
When Your Kid Clams Up
If your preteen is suddenly silent about adoption, look for “reachable” moments.
Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child
In this excerpt from her book, Jayne Schooler offers adoptive parents tools for helping their children make sense of the past.
Your Baby’s Memory Book
Create a simple story for your young child to learn and grow with.
Did I Come From Your Tummy?
Preschoolers ask the darnedest questions, but don’t be afraid to answer them.
Ask AF: What’s the Big Secret?
My 8-year-old has always seemed comfortable about adoption. Recently, though, he’s been telling classmates that he was adopted, but asking them to keep it secret. Should I be worried?
New-Mom Support Groups
Adoptive mothers have unique questions and concerns. Here’s how to get the help–and guidance–you need.
Making Peace with Missing Information
We may not have the answers to all of our children’s questions about adoption and their birth families. But we must accept that fact, so we can help our children come to terms with it, too.
Ask AF: When Pets Need a New Home
Adoptive parents who have made the difficult decision that their pets need a new home worry about sharing this news with their children. Diana Schwab, M.Ed., LSW, suggests ways to explain.