As she anticipates the release of her documentary Hayden & Her Family, the filmmaker reconnects with the mother of 12 she profiled to discuss special needs adoption, parenting outside “normal” boundaries, and how loving a child changes you.
“Motherhood, Cleaved.”
My love for my youngest child, who was born to me, takes a different timbre from my love for my twins through adoption. Accepting this helps me understand the inimitable bond they share with their birth mother, and the ache she must feel.
“What If?”
What if I don’t love this child the same as I love the others? This question is probably every pre-adoptive parent’s most secret worry. Here are the words that reassured me.
Refugee Adoption: A Whole New World for Our Daughters
Although the adoption of refugee children was more complicated than I expected, it has been infinitely rewarding. These children and their past are now part of me.
Parenting Strategies for Blended Families
When your family includes biological and adopted children, how do you make sure everyone feels included?
A Forest of Family Trees
Inclusive assignments help your grade-schooler, as well as her classmates, learn about their lives and the world around them.
“Raising California”
Families are forming in all sorts of ways, in a rainbow of colors, and my son through adoption is growing up right in the middle of all of it.
“True Love, Times Two”
I used to wonder whether my love for my son would be more intense if I’d given birth to him. Having a biological child validated the depth of my feelings the first time around.
When the New Brother or Sister Is Not a Baby
When a sibling arrives at an older age or with emotional challenges, everyone will benefit from realistic expectations — and patience.
The Sibling Connection
Sure, they bicker, they fight, they tease each other mercilessly. But they’re also creating vital relationships that will last a lifetime.
“Parenting a Child Who Was Terrified of Love”
When you adopt an older child who pushes you away in anger, you learn a different way to parent, to give love without immediately receiving it in return.
Is It Adoption, or Is It Life?
Five of the country’s top adoption therapists tell us what we need to know to support our children.
The Daddy Question
How you respond to questions about your “single parent” status depends on who’s asking…
Ask AF: Kinship Questions
Answers to your parenting questions.
[Book Review] Three More Words
Published nearly ten years after her debut memoir, Three More Words offers a closer look at Ashley Rhodes-Courter’s tumultuous journey through foster care.
Parent-to-Parent: Deciding to Adopt
When did you know adoption was in your future? AF readers reflect.
The Family Picture
Grade-schoolers need to know how they connect with their adoptive families.
“Through the Glass”
When people learned I was pregnant, they were surprised that I was still planning to adopt.
“Bonding with My Daughters Over Pink Nail Polish”
My first 19 years of parenting were spent learning the scientific names of dinosaurs and organizing a bug collection. Was I ready to parent preteen girls?
Ask AF: New Sibling Jealousy
Answers to your parenting questions.