I think I finally get it. This, what I feel now, is what being a mummy is supposed to feel like. I had wondered if I would immediately fall in love with my child; I thought I would be certain that he was “the one.” But I didn’t.
“My Nights with Tiana”
So Tiana moved into our bed. As time went on, she began to awaken, startled, reaching her little hand toward my side of the big bed. As soon as she felt me beside her, she would fall back asleep. By her third or fourth month home, Tiana was waking up every 10 minutes to make sure I was beside her. Her panic was palpable.
“Music to My Ears”
At 10, Julia is fully attached to my husband and me. We are a solid forever family, the three of us. But our daughter is still reticent about investing passion elsewhere. There are no posters of Justin Bieber in her room. There is no friend from school she calls her BFF. Not one thing that really, really matters.
Forming a Healthy Attachment
Whatever your child’s history, responsive parenting is key to a secure, loving relationship.
“Reaching Out for Her Dad”
I had expected to form an attachment slowly, but I was instantly smitten with my daughter. She was the one who came around in her own time.
10 Expert-Devised, Baby-Approved Ways to Form a Loving Bond
Wondering how to bond with your new baby? Check out these 10 easy-peasy tips!
In Memory of Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D.
Adoptive Families magazine mourns the passing of Advisory Board member Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D., coauthor of Parenting the Hurt Child, Adopting the Hurt Child, and other books.
First Year Home: Now What?
Expert answers to all your common questions about sleeping, feeding, bonding, and more, with an eye to facilitating a strong attachment.
“Learning to Love in Our New Family”
I had gone to the end of the world to find my baby. So why didn’t we bond, and why didn’t I feel like a mother?
“Two Days to Adoption”
We’d had seven days notice for our first adoption. For our second, four. Now, two. It was as if we’d been training for this moment, and we were at peak performance.
The Truth About Older Child Adoption
The first year after bringing home an older child is complicated, isolating, utterly frustrating…and amazing.
Ask AF: Transition to Daycare
Answers to your parenting questions.
“How I Discovered the Meaning of Motherhood”
It wasn’t until the birth of my daughter that I realized my son’s mother was his adoptive mother.
“Jon’s (Finally) Fearless Smile”
A little boy. His new mom. What ultimately brought the two of them together? Music, sweet, sweet music.
“Becoming Your Mother the Moment We Met”
Still jet-lagged from a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, then another to Shanghai and another to your province, I awoke at dawn knowing that this was the day that I would finally meet you—my baby girl.
Older Child Parenting — The Facts Behind Food Challenges
Our expert explains common feeding challenges with adopted older children, and their solutions.
Adapting Expectations
When you adopt a toddler or an older child, be prepared to encounter some surprising behaviors. Experts and parents share their strategies and successes.
When Your Older Child Comes Home
We’re about to adopt a seven-year-old. Does he have to start school right away? What about medical care? What can wait until we’ve bonded?
Overcoming Older Child Anxiety
We recently adopted a five-year-old. She seems so fearful and anxious! How can we help her learn to trust and love us?
Feeling Guilt Over the Birth Mom’s Grief
“Many parents feel guilty because their joy is the direct result of a difficult decision by the birth mother — someone you may have grown to care about. So when a new adoptive mother sees the birth mother in intense pain, she asks herself, ‘Was adoption really the right thing to do?'”