Before first grade, parents need to teach kids how to respond to unwelcome comments about adoption at school.
Wanting to Be Like Everyone Else
Your preteen just wants to be cool. But how can he, when he’s “different”?
What if My Birth Mother Shows Up to Claim Me?
Reassure your child that you are his parent, forever and always.
When Kids Deny Their Adoption
It’s not uncommon for preteens to pretend they weren’t adopted, in an effort to not be different.
Ask AF: What’s the Big Secret?
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Tweens and Teasing
My middle schoolers often get teased about the way they look or the fact that they were adopted. What can they say to the teasers?
What If? Imagining Life in a Different Family
Sleepovers and play dates give our kids an intimate glimpse of life in a different family — and may prompt reflections and questions.
Connecting with Other Adoptees
As they progress through grade school, most children want to “blend in” and be part of the crowd. But what if a child feels that the way she joined her family–through adoption–sets her apart?
How to Get Your School on Board
Help get your school ready for your child.
Supporting Your Child Through Grief
Our children rely on us to guide them through saying goodbye.
Helping Your Child Who’s In a Funk
When Janice and Paul’s daughter turned 7, they breathed a sigh of relief. Last year Emily’s favorite word was “no,” and she talked back constantly. Alas, now she seemed worried and sad. She felt that no one liked her at school, that the other kids thought she was weird.
Mortifying Moms
You used to be the coolest mom on the block–at least in the mind of your kid. Now she rolls her eyes at everything you do. What’s up?
Adoptees and the Seven Core Issues of Adoption
Adopted persons tend to experience seven core issues related to their adoption. Discussions of adoption over the years have often overlooked the pain and struggles of adoptees, but identifying these core issues and helping children integrate them as they grow validates their experiences, decreasing feelings of being different and isolated.
Helping Your Child with Peer Exclusion
Parents cannot prevent their child from experiencing exclusion or feeling “different” from time to time. You can, however, lessen the negative effects of this common occurrence during the preteen years.
The Continuing Adoption Conversation
Around age six or seven, children start to wonder, “Who am I?” This is when our children can truly understand that joining your family through adoption means they left another.
What Will Their Friends Think?
As kids grow up, they look to their friends for acceptance — and desperately want to fit in.
A New ‘Forever’
Adoptive children can feel familial changes, like divorce after adoption, particularly keenly. Use these tips to help kids adapt to new stepparents.
Is Culture Camp for Us?
What will my child learn and talk about at camp? What would our family take away from a week attending together?
“I Just Don’t Fit In”
Tween adoptees may walk away from their cultural heritage, family outings, and even their family as they try to fit in with peers.
“Don’t Tell Anyone I Was Adopted”
The school year brings the realization that not every child has two sets of parents. Here’s how to help your child cope.