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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.
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The Safe Baby is an easy-to-follow resource that will give busy parents — adoptive or otherwise — peace of mind.
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After finally realizing my dream of becoming a mother, I found what most new parents find—along with the bliss come days filled with crying, spit-up, and leaking diapers. But when I dared to vent, I was chided: “You wanted to adopt…you asked for this!”
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Help your preschooler process the world around him by pointing out the ways you are alike.
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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.
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Your preschooler may hit you with surprising questions at the most unexpected times and places!
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When my transracially adopted son was teased about adoption at school, he came home upset—and also bewildered about how his friend could have known. When I heard this (and when it came out that he wasn't wholly innocent in the exchange), was it wrong that my reaction turned from anger to laughter?
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Before the moody teen years, pre-adolescence can present its own challenges for parents. How should you respond to tweens’ questions about adoption or initiate conversation with a preteen who doesn’t seem eager to talk?
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We asked our readers: How did you decide whether to introduce the topic of adoption at your child's school? What actions did you take, if any, to start explaining adoption to classmates or teachers? What advice do you have for other parents about how to best interact with your child's teachers?
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If you’re parenting an oppositional child or teen, you probably say “no” a lot. You may say it so often that it’s become your default response, or you may be stuck in the perception that “no” is the healthier option. How can you bring positivity back into your parent-child relationship?
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Embracing your child's racial identity means embracing his friends, too.
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Stumped by your teen's silences and questions? Here's how to tackle them.
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 How to navigate the domestic adoption process. MORE eBOOKS |
 Annual how-to-adopt guide. VIEW DIGITAL EDITION or READ ARTICLES ONLINE |
When the courts place children in foster care, siblings have only each other to turn to and count on.
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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.
If your family is thinking about adopting a child of a different race, spend some time answering these six questions to help determine if it's right for you.
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We polled our newsletter subscribers, "How did you tell your extended family about your decision to adopt?" Here's what some of you said.
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When the courts place children in foster care, siblings have only each other to turn to and count on.
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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.
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Wondering how to adopt from Ecuador? Find statistics, prospective parent requirements, personal stories, and more resources.
Help your preschooler process the world around him by pointing out the ways you are alike.
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Help your preschooler process the world around him by pointing out the ways you are alike.
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Today the judge made it official. But this child has been one of us since the day he was born.
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A parent-to-be who’s adopting a four-year-old from foster care solicits advice about what to do that first day home and how to make it easier on the child.
Can a Band-Aid do more than heal a physical wound? For my daughter, adopted from Ethiopia at age 9, a mother's therapeutic touch — to real and emotional boo-boos — began a deeper healing process.
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When the courts place children in foster care, siblings have only each other to turn to and count on.
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“Looking back on this picture, I see a child who was confused, but yearning for what we all want and need: security, a family, and love. The picture is about hope.”
Have you considered growing your family through adoption from U.S. foster care, but don’t know where to begin? Contact the experts at AdoptUSKids for personalized guidance and the reassurance that “you don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.”
We polled our newsletter subscribers, "How did you tell your extended family about your decision to adopt?" Here's what some of you said.
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Our recommendations for online adoption resources — from government sites to attorney directories — selected by the editors of Adoptive Families magazine.
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If you traveled domestically to adopt, what's one piece of advice you can give others as they prepare to do the same? See parents' answers.
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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.
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Three years after her adoption, we returned to our daughter's Russian orphanage to visit her caregivers and friends there.
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The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released a new schedule of non-refundable accreditation fees to be shouldered by agencies and, ultimately, prospective families.
Four families share how they fit making scrapbooks and lifebooks into their busy lives after adopting.
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An unexpected emergency tests the strength of a mother-daughter bond.
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Four families share how they fit making scrapbooks and lifebooks into their busy lives after adopting.
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Millions of children around the world are currently being raised in “grandfamilies.” In this excerpt from a new guidebook, learn how to make sense of your new role and explain this unique form of kinship adoption to your child.
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When talk turns to family traits—who got grandma's curly hair or daddy's big blue eyes—how does our child find her place in the conversation?
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An adoptive mother explores adopting her son’s biological sister, but realizes she wouldn’t be able to meet the child’s medical needs. She seeks advice on how to tell her son.
Want more resources on instilling a positive racial and cultural identity in kids, educating kids about racism, and learning more about your child's ethnic heritage—and the stereotypes that accompany it? Start here.
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Find ways to bond and connect with the culture of your adopted African American child.
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Want more resources on instilling a positive racial and cultural identity in kids, educating kids about racism, and learning more about your child's ethnic heritage—and the stereotypes that accompany it? Start here.
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A mother seeks advice in selecting a school for her daughter, who is biracial. How to weigh general diversity vs. specific racial representation vs. distance from the family’s home?
Help your preschooler process the world around him by pointing out the ways you are alike.
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Millions of children around the world are currently being raised in “grandfamilies.” In this excerpt from a new guidebook, learn how to make sense of your new role and explain this unique form of kinship adoption to your child.
| 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 mother seeks advice in selecting a school for her daughter, who is biracial. How to weigh general diversity vs. specific racial representation vs. distance from the family’s home?
When my transracially adopted son was teased about adoption at school, he came home upset—and also bewildered about how his friend could have known. When I heard this (and when it came out that he wasn't wholly innocent in the exchange), was it wrong that my reaction turned from anger to laughter?
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"I have always known I was capable of giving this much love. What I didn't know is that a child could love me this much."
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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.
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