Search Results: May/June 2007

Readers share: Was your adoption meant to be?

Share Your Story: Was It Fate?

We asked our readers: Do you believe your child was destined for your family? Or does fate have nothing to do with it? Here are your stories.

Ask AF: Books for Understanding the Birth Mothers’ Perspective

Do you know of any books, like I Wish for You a Beautiful Life: Letters from the Korean Birth Mothers of Ae Ran Won to Their Children, written for kids adopted from China?

Pregnancy and birth talks don't need to be about the stork!

Answering Kids’ Questions About Reproduction

Kids' questions about sex are a tad more complicated when adoption is involved. Here, our experts give you the answers you need.

Daughter learning about different levels of birth mother contact from sibling's birth mother

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?

In this personal essay, one mother describes how bonding was different with her adopted daughter and her biological daughter.

“How was the bonding?”

The woman's question was the very one I had long ago asked strangers. And it was one I'd had to find the answer to on my own.

A mom through domestic adoption describes her doubts about her maternal instinct.

“Maternal Instincts”

My daughter's birth mother helped me trust my own maternal instinct.

One father describes how he became a foster parent.

“Fostering Hope”

For the past four years, my wife and I have provided a temporary roost for kids blown about by a fate they didn't deserve.

One single mother describes her daughter's questions for birth mother.

“Heart’s Desire”

My daughter—like my own mother—feels an almost primal pull toward the woman whose body she grew in.

One woman learns about adoptive motherhood in mother nature.

“The Most Natural Adoption”

As a newly minted adoptive mom reveling in my bond with my daughter, it just seemed natural to me when a mother goat on our farm took in a baby lamb.

Disciplining adopted children can be hard for new parents. Here's how to do it.

Saying “No!” (Without Guilt)

Your preschooler pleads for things and refuses to listen. Why is it so hard to set limits?

Adoption celebrations are a joyous occasion

Adoption Celebrations for Every Family

When it’s time to celebrate, we take cues from longstanding traditions and blend in rituals created from scratch. The result? Ceremonies as unique as our families.

When to Let Kids Handle Racism On their Own

Answers to your parenting questions.

Ask AF: Writing an Adoption Reference Letter

A reader asks how to write a great adoption reference letter that her friend will show to prospective birth mothers.

Ask AF: Filing Taxes Without an SSN

Answers to your parenting questions.

Ask AF: Sharing Tough Information

"We have very little information about our five-year-old daughter's birth parents, but what we do know is disturbing. When should we share this information, and how" Read Mary Ann Curran's answer.

Ask AF: Older Child Adjustment

The older child we're adopting is coming to us after seven years of foster care in another country. How can we make the transition easier?

Ask AF: Helping Kids who Feel “Different”

Your preteen wants to fit in, but how can she when she's "different"? AF explains how parents can help.

Ask AF: Breast Milk or Formula

Answers to your parenting questions.

Ask AF: Graduating from the Family Bed

Answers to your parenting questions.

Imaginary Birth Parents

Your child may never have met his first mom and dad. But that doesn't mean he's not spinning stories about them.

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