Five years ago, my husband Pat and I knew nothing about open adoption. Today, we are staunch advocates of it and the very proud parents of two beautiful children who came home to us through open adoption. The journey to our children and to lovingly accept open adoption, however, was not an easy one. We learned that having an open mind was the key to having an open heart.
Adoption in Prime Time: NBC’s Parenthood
How adoptive parents feel about the adoption storyline on NBC’s Parenthood
[Book Excerpt] Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home
In this excerpt from her adoption memoir, Kim Sunée describes the hunger she experienced as a child, and how food helped her bond with her adoptive family.
Ask AF: Secrecy or Privacy?
Answers to your parenting questions.
20 Questions Kids Ask About Adoption
Your child has questions about babies, birth mothers, and the way he joined your family. Now, you have the answers.
Noteworthy New Adoption Reads
Read any good adoption books, lately? we asked our readers, and got an emphatic Yes! Here are your favorite adult and children’s titles published within the last year, with our picks added to the list.
Ask AF: How Do You Explain International Adoption vs. Open Adoption?
Answers to your parenting questions.
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.
Making Memories
Digital scrapbooking is the easy, new way to preserve your memories–and adoptive parents are leading the way!
Ask AF: Feeling Left Out of a Birth Family
Our seven-year-old biological son seems to swing between feeling left out because his siblings (both adopted) have “other families” to feeling that they can’t be part of our family because they have “other” families.
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.
Birth Parents on Their Minds
Your teen probably spends a lot of time thinking (or fantasizing) about her birth mother. Here’s how to get some of those thoughts out in the open.
Parent-to-Parent: The Great Gotcha Debate
The term “Gotcha Day” has ardent fans and strong detractors in the adoption community. We asked Adoptive Families readers how they feel about it, and whether they use the term in their family. Here’s what you said.
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.
Ask AF: Sharing Negative Information
My nine-year-old daughter was adopted as an infant. She’s been asking me about her birth parents, so I searched. I was devastated by the information I found, and have no idea when and how to reveal the details. Her birth mother died from complications due to alcoholism; her birth father has done time in prison and is now AWOL.
Ask AF: When Mom Feels Hurt
Answers to your parenting questions.
Parent-To-Parent: Sharing Our News
On our Facebook page we asked readers: After you decided to adopt, who was the first person you told? What did he or she say? Here are some of your responses.
Ask AF: Honoring a Birth Mom’s Memory
Spurred, in part, by my daughter’s questions, I recently initiated a search for my six-year-old’s birth mother. I learned that her birth mother died a year ago. Do I need to tell my daughter now? If so, how?
Ask AF: Telling Our Child We’re Adopting
Answers to your parenting questions.
[Book Review] In My Heart
Molly Bang’s warm, reassuring children’s book provides a tender reminder of the bond between parent and child, even when they are apart all day long. In My Heart doesn’t mention adoption, but the illustrations led my son to say, “Look, Mom! He’s adopted, like me!”