| The Adoption Parenting Library Search the Adoptive Families archives |
Adoption allowed me to fulfill my dream of finally becoming a mother, and my flexible work schedule allows me to be the mom I’ve always wanted to be. Here’s how you can make it work, too.
JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more.  |
Over decades as a foster and adoptive parent and an adoption social worker, I have mothered and supported hundreds of children. Each one has taught me more than I passed along to them. Here is just some of that wisdom.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
The Safe Baby is an easy-to-follow resource that will give busy parents — adoptive or otherwise — peace of mind.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Help your preschooler process the world around him by pointing out the ways you are alike.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
We asked readers, “Have you found any dolls or other toys that reflect your child’s race and/or birth culture that you would specifically recommend?” Here are the top picks.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Your preschooler may hit you with surprising questions at the most unexpected times and places!
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
"At what age should we start letting our daughter take the lead in birth parent contact? I know that my daughter will be able to call her birth mom freely when she gets her own cellphone, so how do we step back responsibly?"
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Once, I grieved the loss of a biological child. Nineteen years later, as I watch my son leap and soar (literally) into adulthood, I am at peace with my role of nurturing the many gifts built into his nature.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Parents are puzzled by their seven-year-old’s new questions and feelings about adoption. Adoption expert Beth Friedberg, LCSW, offers an explanation and talking tips.
As my children move into the world without me, I can’t protect them the way I could when they were little. I can’t assume that their lives and actions will be cloaked with the same privilege I was born with.
"At what age should we start letting our daughter take the lead in birth parent contact? I know that my daughter will be able to call her birth mom freely when she gets her own cellphone, so how do we step back responsibly?"
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Once, I grieved the loss of a biological child. Nineteen years later, as I watch my son leap and soar (literally) into adulthood, I am at peace with my role of nurturing the many gifts built into his nature.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
 Subscribe for exclusive access to every digital issue. SUBSCRIBE |
 How to navigate the domestic adoption process. MORE eBOOKS |
 Annual how-to-adopt guide. READ ARTICLES ONLINE |
For years, I felt ambivalence about becoming a parent, and worry that I wouldn’t be a “perfect” mother. In an open letter to my daughter, I look back on that moment of calm and utter clarity when we met.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Learn about Wyoming adoption laws and find adoption agencies and attorneys who work with families in your state.
Under the World Health Organization’s previous definition, infertility was failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Its expanded version will apply to more families.
Each year, Adoptive Families polls newly formed families across the country to get actual information on the cost and length of time it took them to complete their adoptions. See the results of the most recent 2016-2017 Adoption Cost & Timing Survey.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Parents share the moment they knew in their hearts that their path to parenthood would involve adoption, whether they always knew or it came after years of trying to conceive.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
We asked, did you get "the call" that you'd been selected by a birth mother after the baby was already born? Parents respond with their experiences and been-there advice.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
"We are preparing for our first overnight visit with sisters we hope to adopt from foster care, and are nervous. What are we supposed to do for 24 hours with two children who are essentially strangers?"
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
For years, I felt ambivalence about becoming a parent, and worry that I wouldn’t be a “perfect” mother. In an open letter to my daughter, I look back on that moment of calm and utter clarity when we met.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Wondering how to adopt from Ecuador? Find statistics, prospective parent requirements, personal stories, and more resources.
Six months after she came home to us, our daughter stopped speaking. As I searched for clues as to her sudden silence, I became profoundly grateful to her Chinese foster father, a man I had never met, for teaching me a valuable lesson about selfless love.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Six months after she came home to us, our daughter stopped speaking. As I searched for clues as to her sudden silence, I became profoundly grateful to her Chinese foster father, a man I had never met, for teaching me a valuable lesson about selfless love.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
I became a dad at age 50, and it changed my life in ways I never could have expected. It was the greatest gift.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Six months after she came home to us, our daughter stopped speaking. As I searched for clues as to her sudden silence, I became profoundly grateful to her Chinese foster father, a man I had never met, for teaching me a valuable lesson about selfless love.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Once, I grieved the loss of a biological child. Nineteen years later, as I watch my son leap and soar (literally) into adulthood, I am at peace with my role of nurturing the many gifts built into his nature.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
"We are preparing for our first overnight visit with sisters we hope to adopt from foster care, and are nervous. What are we supposed to do for 24 hours with two children who are essentially strangers?"
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
"We are adopting from foster care and have an 'ice breaker' meeting with a 10-year-old boy scheduled for tomorrow. I’m super nervous. Can anyone share advice about forging a connection?"
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Amazingly, the number one question we’re asked about being a foster family is: “Are you afraid of what they'll teach your children?” So, what have my kids learned? To start—to be open, generous, non-judgmental, thankful for their warm home….
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
We asked, did you get "the call" that you'd been selected by a birth mother after the baby was already born? Parents respond with their experiences and been-there advice.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
We polled our newsletter subscribers, "How did you tell your extended family about your decision to adopt?" Here's what some of you said.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Our recommendations for online adoption resources — from government sites to attorney directories — selected by the editors of Adoptive Families magazine.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
For years, I felt ambivalence about becoming a parent, and worry that I wouldn’t be a “perfect” mother. In an open letter to my daughter, I look back on that moment of calm and utter clarity when we met.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
We left our house this morning a family of three, but the next time we walk through our front door, it will be as a family of four.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Three years after her adoption, we returned to our daughter's Russian orphanage to visit her caregivers and friends there.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
When you formed your family through adoption, everyone seems to think it's their right to ask you nosy questions about adoption. Readers share some of the most common—as well as some of the most outrageous.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
We all imagine different ways our lives could have played out. For adoptees, these fantasies may seem particularly compelling: ‘What would my life have been like if I had not been adopted?’
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Four families share how they fit making scrapbooks and lifebooks into their busy lives after adopting.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
“Would knowing that somewhere, out in the world, she has a biological sister—but one she can’t get in touch with or live with as a sibling—help our child, or be harmful?”
When you formed your family through adoption, everyone seems to think it's their right to ask you nosy questions about adoption. Readers share some of the most common—as well as some of the most outrageous.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
“My nine-year-old has been asking me about her birth mother. I was able to find her on social media, but I’m worried about sharing the photos I found.”
For years, many white adoptive parents of children of color have sought to claim the relatively passive “not-racist” identity, but now is the time to push beyond self-examination into action and become an anti-racist family. Learn how to interrogate your own white privilege; talk with your child about systemic racism, the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others, and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests; and commit to working toward justice.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
The day we became a transracial adoptive family was the day we lost our anonymity in our community. We’ve learned to handle the extra attention with some advance prep before going public, some choice words, and some perspective.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Heritage travel can help your child understand her birth culture, and her origin story. Plan a trip that will work for your family by answering these questions.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
For years, many white adoptive parents of children of color have sought to claim the relatively passive “not-racist” identity, but now is the time to push beyond self-examination into action and become an anti-racist family. Learn how to interrogate your own white privilege; talk with your child about systemic racism, the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others, and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests; and commit to working toward justice.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Belated diagnoses of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) changed the way this mom parented her children, and the way she savored their successes. Join with her as she recounts some of their small victories and hard-won life lessons from their 20-year journey.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Adoption allowed me to fulfill my dream of finally becoming a mother, and my flexible work schedule allows me to be the mom I’ve always wanted to be. Here’s how you can make it work, too.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Parents share the questions their children have been asked by friends and classmates over the years, from being in an orphanage to whether they know their "real" parents.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
A step-by-step plan to help adoptive parents plan successful outings for children and their friends.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Adoptive Families Cover Photo Contest! See the nine photos selected from more than 500 entries, and read stories from the proud parents.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
We asked our readers: If you'll be giving your child's birth parents a gift this holiday season, what is it and how will you give it to them? Read the answers from adoptive parents.
| JOIN Subscribe or renew now for exclusive access to this article, future digital issues of Adoptive Families, the full searchable Adoption Parenting Library and much more. |
