A look at what to expect at different developmental stages of babyhood—and what each stage means for adoptive parents.
“They Remembered Me”
A Korean adoptee learns that human nature doesn’t always follow perceived “best practices.”
[Book Review] Born in Our Hearts
Together, two anthologies offer a complex, realistic account of adoption.
Accurate Adoption Language
Help journalists use language that conveys the fact that adoptive families are just like any other by passing along this suggested adoption stylebook.
[Book Review] Adoption Lifebook: A Bridge To Your Child’s Beginnings
In this essential addition to the literature on adoption lifebooks, Cindy Probst provides a structured, child-centered approach to the task of writing down what happened in the earliest days of a child’s life.
“The Therapeutic Value of Playing Our Adoption Game”
My daughter was two when I first met her at the orphanage in Russia. I knew nothing about the first years of her life, and she has no conscious memories of that time—but an elaborate fantasy life that she cultivated gave me a glimpse into how she may have experienced her early years.
“Certificate of Live Birth and Parentage”
The document we receive is not called a Mothering Certificate, it’s a Certificate of Live Birth. So why isn’t the birth mother’s name on there?
[Book Review] Bud, Not Buddy
This Newberry Award winning book features a foster child in search of his father.
[Book Review] Mommy Far, Mommy Near
Mommy Far, Mommy Near-An Adoption Story, by Carol Antoinette Peacock, is exceptional. I really loved the fact that the story is told by a child to other children-the book’s readers.
“Who’s His Real Mom?”
My little brother was stunned, and I was enraged, when a schoolmate asked an innocent question.
Favorite Reads of 2013
Many new books with adoption storylines or themes were published in 2013. Here are your favorites, for parents and children, with our picks added to the list.
The Heart of the Matter
How do parents know when a child’s behavior is related to adoption, and when it’s not?
Imagining Another Life
As adolescents become capable of abstract thinking, they begin to wonder about the family and the country left behind — and the road not taken.
Private Isn’t Secret
Nosy comments from strangers are one thing. But what do you do when it’s a child who’s asking difficult questions?
When They Just Don’t Get It
The world knows a lot more about adoption these days, but not enough. It’s our job to keep chipping away at society’s biases, for the sake of our kids.
“We Are All Storytellers”
The desire to give our children a history is something we all share. Here’s how I turned the story of bringing my son home into an adoption memoir.
How I Explained Adoption to the First Grade
Using a favorite doll and a logic children can follow, one mother enlightens her daughter’s curious class about adoption.
A Bridge to Your Child’s Beginnings
In an excerpt from her book, Cindy Probst talks about why lifebooks, long treasured by foster adopters, make sense for all adoptive families.
Ask AF: Sharing Tough Information
“We have very little information about our five-year-old daughter’s birth parents, but what we do know is disturbing. When should we share this information, and how” Read Mary Ann Curran’s answer.
Ask AF: Clearly Non-Identical Twins
Parents who adopted non-identical twins who have different skin tones wonder how to hand comments about adoption and race. Deborah Johnson offers advice on responding.