Stumped by your teen's silences and questions? Here's how to tackle them.
“How I Parent My Transracial Family”
Like all mixed race families in America, we face stereotyping as a matter of course. These six lessions have helped enrich my family.
Share Your Story: Adopting a Child of a Different Race
We asked AF readers to tell us about their experiences with transracial adoption.
The Best Adoption Books for Eager Readers
Now that your grade-schooler is reading on her own, she may rediscover some simple adoption books.
Adopted and Black in Middle America
Michelle Johnson, 38, adopted by white parents and raised in suburban Minneapolis, recently spoke with AF about her experiences.
Why Girls with ADHD Go Undiagnosed
ADHD is not a male disorder, and yet "most people have the misperception that it's a disorder of hyperactive elementary school-aged boys," says Patricia Quinn, M.D., a developmental pediatrician and director of the National Center for Gender Issues and ADHD in Washington, D.C. So why are girls diagnosed so much later than boys, if at all?
“Let’s Be Fair”
At nine, my daughter is becoming aware of the many ways in which the world is unjust, and is doing her part to promote fairness where she can.
The Reluctant Family
You're ready to adopt, but your spouse is reluctant. How can you get your "other half" (and family members) on board?
“Teaching My Children That Black Is Beautiful”
I tell my African-American children that they are smart and beautiful because I know that the world may tell them otherwise.
“Journey Towards Love: Mimi and her Grandfather”
For months a mother tried to convince her dad that he could be a grandparent to the little girl she was bringing home. It took the child considerably less time to bring him around.
“Picture of Love”
In the photos our agency sent, I saw a serious little boy growing up without a mother. Halfway around the world, I waited and longed for the day when I could fill that role.
AF Asks: Tell Us About the First Moment With Your Child’s Birth Mother
Our Reader Panel responds.
Understanding Your Preschooler’s Questions — “I Want That, Too!”
Your preschooler may ask you for all kinds of things. But what is he really saying?
African-American Health Concerns: Sickle Cell Anemia
Our child is African-American. What should we know about sickle cell anemia?
“A Complicated Privilege”
Was hiring someone to search for our daughter's Guatemalan birth mother the right thing to do? We decided we had no choice but to try to meet her.
“Honoring My Ethiopian Daughters’ Heritage”
My daughters have caramel brown skin, dark brown eyes, and tightly curled black hair. They are African by birth, American by citizenship, but have always self-identified as Habesha (the Amharic word for Ethiopian).
“Braiding Barbara’s Hair”
As the white mother of an African American daughter, I learned more than I ever could've imagined about hair.
[Book Review] In Their Parents’ Voices: Reflections on Raising Transracial Adoptees
In this sequel to In Their Own Voices, by Rita J. Simon and Rhonda Roorda, we meet the parents of transracial adoptees, and hear firsthand what it was like raising children across racial and cultural lines.
“When Relatives Never Get Adoption”
Two AF readers open up about the painful and rarely talked-about experience of dealing with a relative who never gets on board.
Ask AF: Bringing Birth Fathers Into the Adoption Conversation
Answers to your parenting questions.