My wife was deluged with questions at a new moms’ group, each one more personal than the last.
“Why Did You Buy a Foreign Child?”
When an anonymous poster invaded our neighborhood message board, I knew I had to answer back.
“Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hatches a Talk About Adoption”
A beloved children’s book sparked a discussion with my three-year-old daughter about adoption and her birth mother.
“Yes, Black Women Do Adopt”
Talking with Black women about adoption became a routine part of motherhood for me, alongside diapers, homework, and the warmth I feel every time I look at my son.
“My Mother’s Ring”
This heirloom bridges the past with the future, connecting my daughter to our family in profound, unexpected ways.
“Knowing Their Brother’s Birth Mother”
We knew that our youngest son’s birth mother would be a powerful force in his life. We didn’t anticipate the impact she’d have on his older brothers.
“A Table Laden with Meaning”
While a meal might seem trivial at one level, it may also be filled with lessons about identity, culture, and family.
“Adopting Our Son’s Birth Sister”
When we adopted our son’s biological sister, it felt both eerily similar and completely different.
“My Parents Never Judged My First Mother”
With her swollen belly, my classmate reminded me of my own first mother. People expected her to be ashamed, but I wondered, how can someone be ashamed of the mother without also being ashamed of the baby?
“Blood Doesn’t Mean Family”
After reuniting with my birth family and studying in my birth country, I felt closer to my adoptive family than ever.
“Our Frantic 24 Hours After Getting the Adoption Call”
We had only been “active” with our adoption agency for two months. So when my husband went on a camping trip with no cell reception, we thought, “What could go wrong?”
“Finding Peace with My Adoption Plan”
As a birth mother, my path to adoption was full of conflicting feelings. But at the moment my son was born — when two women came together in the same instant to love him — I felt at peace.
“The Decision to Adopt a Child with Prenatal Drug Exposure”
Typically, I would have spent weeks — if not months — gathering information and exhausting every possible scenario. But there wasn’t time for analyzing. My son needed me.
“Teaching Our Daughter That Her Needs Matter”
My little girl didn’t fuss, never cried, and was utterly compliant. It was up to us to teach her to shove, yell, and demand — and find her voice.
“What ‘Real’ Means to Me” – An Adoptee’s Story
Being asked who your “real parents” are is part of being an adoptee. Even though I know now what parenting means, those four letters still make me cringe.
“Meeting the Parents Who Would Adopt My Grandchild”
My daughter “gave up” nothing when she became a birth mother. She lovingly placed her precious baby girl in the arms of parents who would prove eager to embrace us all.
“When Will My Daughter Truly Know What Adoption Means?”
“It’s a hard truth, a harsh reality to take in, that love and pain can be so connected, so entwined. When will she truly know what adoption means? When will she finally learn the whole truth of what this word means?”
“Gardening Through the Adoption Wait”
After my dream of a family through adoption had been planted, it grew in the warm soil of my backyard.
“Why Am I the Only One Who’s Pink?”
Being Mom to “virtual twins”—one African-American, one white; one adopted, one biological—has taught me to validate both of my children for who they are.
White Dad, Black Son
In a society that claims to be “color-blind,” we must parent deliberately.