What matters most is not a list of questions or negotiating points, but finding a way to meet genuinely as people.
Supporting Your Child Through Grief
Our children rely on us to guide them through saying goodbye.
Ask AF: How Do I Set Boundaries With My Child’s Birth Family?
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Feeling Left Out of a Birth Family
Our seven-year-old biological son seems to swing between feeling left out because his siblings (both adopted) have “other families” to feeling that they can’t be part of our family because they have “other” families.
Ask AF: Honoring a Birth Mom’s Memory
Spurred, in part, by my daughter’s questions, I recently initiated a search for my six-year-old’s birth mother. I learned that her birth mother died a year ago. Do I need to tell my daughter now? If so, how?
“I Have Four Moms”
For many parents who adopted children internationally, a birth mother relationship is uncharted territory.
“A Love We Never Expected”
When we first considered adoption, my husband and I discussed how much contact we were willing to have with the birth mother. We didn’t realize how close we’d become to the whole birth family.
“The Whole Journey”
When our son’s birth mother was making that painful decision — raise a child or finish high school — we were the family she chose. So when she invited us to her graduation, nothing could stop us.
Open Adoption: A Reference Guide for Families
Openness brings great benefits to all involved, as well as some unique dilemmas. Addressing them requires flexibility, sensitivity to the birth family, and confidence in yourself as parents. Here’s how to make it work for your family.
New Questions About Open Adoption
As our child gets older, he keeps coming up with more and more questions about his adoption!
Bringing Up Birth Siblings
Our daughter has birth siblings she doesn’t know about, but we don’t know how to tell her.
View the Open Adoption Webinar Replay
View the replay of a webinar with Lori Holden to learn about open adoption and hear answers to commonly asked questions from adoptive parents.
AF Asks: Tell Us About the First Moment With Your Child’s Birth Mother
Our Reader Panel responds.
“Falling in Love with Adoption”
Although my family’s story is a journey still in progress, I’ve discovered a way to feel complete.
Explaining Different Levels of Birth Mother Contact to Kids
We know very little about our nine-year-old’s birth mom, but her younger brother talks to his. How can we help her?
Ask AF: Birth Grandparent Contact?
Our expert explains how contact with birth grandparents can be beneficial for children, and the guidelines for setting up a relationship that will last.
“When My Birth Mom Was an Astronaut”
I looked for my birth mother everywhere. For a little while, I found her on the Space Shuttle.
“Snowfall, and the Silence of Pregnancy”
I frequently found myself on the defensive while pregnant, afraid of what people might say and how they might judge me. I felt judged enough, being single and pregnant.
“It’s an Adoption Thing”
In this personal essay, one adoptive mother shares her relationship with her daughter’s birth family, and the memories that arise as they prepare to visit.
Countdown to Summer
With vacation time approaching, many of us are wondering how we can use the time to celebrate adoption. What are your family’s plans?