Explaining Adoption to Family, Friends, and Others


When your family grows through adoption, your family and friends may need a little adoption education—and some may just not “get” it. Find pointers on explaining adoption to people who touch your family’s life, responding to nosy questions, and safeguarding the private details of your child’s pre-adoption history.

Read expert advice on answering rude adoption qeustions.

Answering Relatives’ Tricky Questions About Adoption

Adoptive parents are used to fielding questions about adoption — and most of us have an arsenal of replies to give the stranger in the checkout lane, but when it’s a family member making the rude remark, snappy comebacks don’t suffice.

My Friends' Insensitive Comments About Adoption

“My So-Called Friends”

The other day, I mentioned to a coworker that my husband and I were looking into international adoption. You’d have thought I said we were thinking of becoming terrorists. “What do you mean, you’re going to adopt from Russia? What about all the kids in Milwaukee who need good homes?” she demanded indignantly.

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