“My husband was advised that some adoptive parents ‘hide’ the adoption process and feign pregnancy on social media for friends and extended family. Has anyone done this?”
Ask AF: Four-Year-Old Expressing Negativity About Her Skin Color
The mother of a preschooler shares her concern about negative comments her daughter has been making about her skin color. Parents who have been there offer advice.
Ask AF: New Feelings About Adoption as a Teen
“After years of seeming OK about being adopted, my teenage daughter has become sad and angry about it recently. How can I help her deal with her new emotions?”
When Relatives Hold Dated Views About Adoption
“I need help dealing with unsupportive relatives who seem to think ‘adoption’ is a dirty word. How can I talk with them about adoption?”
One Partner Wants to Nest, the Other Wants to Wait
A hopeful adoptive mother who’s just started the adoption wait is ready to nest and get the baby’s room ready—but her husband wants to wait. Parents who have been there offer advice.
Ask AF: Readjusting to Younger Kids as an Older Mom
An older mom who’s enjoyed the relative freedom of parenting teens is nervous about readjusting to more hands-on parenting when she adopts a young child. Parents who have been there offer advice.
Ask AF: How to Encourage a New-Sibling Bond?
“We adopted our 10-year-old daughter as an infant, and adopted her seven- and eight-year-old biological sisters last month. How can we help all three girls bond with each other?”
Ask AF: Should We Adopt Our Child’s Birth Siblings?
A mother of three seeks advice on adopting her child’s birth siblings. She worries that her child will feel hurt if they don’t, but also that they won’t have the energy or resources to parent more children.
Ask AF: Roles and Titles in Kinship Adoption
“I adopted my grandson through a kinship adoption. He’s now six and has recently begun calling me ‘Mommy’ and saying he was in my tummy. Is this OK, or do I need to reiterate that I’m his grandmother?”
Ask AF: Child Wishes She Had an Open Adoption
“My daughter, who was adopted internationally, has been saying she wishes she got to see her birth mother, like her close friend who has a very open adoption. What can I say to her?”
Ask AF: Would Calling Day Care Workers “Auntie” Confuse an Adopted Child?
A parent solicits opinions about a day care that encourages the children to call the employees “Auntie” and the other children “brothers and sisters.”
Ask AF: Disagreeing About Discipline with the Birth Family
A parent in an open adoption asks what do do (and how to explain to her son) when his birth family uses different discipline approaches for his birth sibling. Adoption expert Regina M. Kupecky, LSW, offers advice.
Ask AF: What Adoptive Parents Need to Know About Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a contagious virus that can be passed from a mother to a baby at or around the time of birth. It can also be passed from one child to another in an orphanage, through blood or body fluids.
Ask AF: When Kids Don’t Ask for Birth Family Contact
A mother who adopted older children asks what to say to her children’s birth grandparent when her children don’t ask for contact.
Ask AF: My Child Was Told by Peers That She’s “Not Really Chinese”
A parent reaches out for help after taunting at school left her daughter feeling shaken to the core and that she doesn’t belong anywhere. An adult adoptee and transracial adoption expert offers advice.
Ask AF: Explaining Very Difficult Details
“How do we disclose a lifelong medical condition to our child, and talk with her about lacking any information about her birth parents?”
Ask AF: Feeling Excited and Scared as We Begin the Process
“We’re just beginning the adoption process, and are waffling between excitement—and terror. Is this normal?”
Ask the Doctor: Pre-Adoption Medical Assessment
What kind of referral information will I receive about a child available for adoption, and how do I assess it?
Ask AF: How Does Stepparent Adoption Work?
I recently remarried, and my husband would like to adopt my son. Is this possible?
Ask AF: Revealing Health Problems During a Home Study
My wife has ongoing health problems, but they are not debilitating. Will this be a factor in the home study?