“Adoptive families get to know their children for who they are, something that biological families usually don’t do,” says the author.
“Where We All Belong”
When I was a teen, my parents decided to grow our family by adopting from foster care. How did it feel to suddenly gain four new brothers and sisters through adoption?
Parent-to-Parent: My Favorite Adoption Memory
Adoptive parents and adoptees share their favorite adoption memories from the past year, including first Mother’s Days, finalizing adoptions, and gaining access to open records.
What You Need To Know To Breastfeed Your Baby
Few adoptive mothers will tell you that nursing is easy, but almost all will say it’s worth the effort.
Parent-to-Parent: Sleep Problems
We asked our readers, “What sleep problems did you encounter after you adopted your child, and how did you handle them?” Here’s what they said.
The Diaper Wars
There’s no one best diaper for baby. Just choose the one that suits your style.
Help Your Child Sleep Through the Night
Waking in the night is very common and can have many causes.
Parent-to-Parent: Gifts for New Parents Through Adoption
From time to bond to a scrapbook from the orphanage to IKEA furniture (and assembly!), parents share their favorite gifts they received after adopting their child.
Finding Belonging in Pictures
After adopting older children, these parents found that maintaining a family photo album was a useful tool to encourage bonding.
Teaching Kids to Say Thanks
What do you do when your three-year-old announces that he doesn’t like the new socks your mother gave him as a gift? Or he’s too busy devouring a cookie to show his appreciation for it?;
“Front Porch Children”
Being a foster parent is not for the faint of heart. Your heart swells, loves, breaks, and heals with each placement—and it is all, every moment of it, worth it.
“We Are All Adopted”
From my own search for my roots through adopting older children from foster care, life has taught me to treasure my children’s biological connections while knowing that we don’t have to look alike to belong together.
Ask AF: Handling a Difficult Adjustment After Older Child Adoption
A single mother who’s adopting a boy from foster care seeks advice on a challenging older child adoption adjustment. Parents who have adopted older children respond.
Share Your Story: Holiday Traditions
We asked the Adoptive Families Reader Panel: How do you integrate your child’s culture of origin and/or adoption story into your family’s holiday rituals?
How Did You Word Your Adoption Announcement?
Did you create a custom announcement, or adapt a pre-printed template? There are so many questions when sharing the news of your new family member. Our readers explain what they included.
Ask AF: Would Calling Day Care Workers “Auntie” Confuse an Adopted Child?
A parent solicits opinions about a day care that encourages the children to call the employees “Auntie” and the other children “brothers and sisters.”
“Bonding with My Teen in the Baby Department”
My daughter came to me at nine years old, so neither of us knows what she looked like as a baby, but walking these aisles is a way for us to recreate what we both lost.
Adoptive Breastfeeding with Supplemental Nursing
One mother shares the special memories she has of bonding with her child during breastfeeding, and the book that helped her figure it out.
“An Unexpected Family”
For eight years, my wife and I watched our chances of having a baby evaporate. Then our eleven-year-old niece came to live with us, bringing with her a bittersweet deliverance.
“Second Child, Second Thoughts?”
“I began to understand what Bianca was going through. She wasn’t sure she was ready for a baby sister yet. Was I?”