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Two children playing a game, showcasing friendship skills in adopted children

Friendship Lessons

Expert tips for adoptive parents to help your child make and maintain peer relationships.

returning to work after adoption leave

Bonding While You Work

Adoptive Families readers received, on average, 9.6 weeks of leave from work. Here’s how to make an informed childcare decision, and keep the transition from disrupting your bond.

The author's daughter, Tess, swimming with a friend at her yearly India Camp

“Finding Tess”

India Camp gives our daughter a chance to be around kids just like her. Along the way, she's discovered her true self.

Picture of baby Tyler, right before the months of waiting

“Picture of Love”

In the photos our agency sent, I saw a serious little boy growing up without a mother. Halfway around the world, I waited and longed for the day when I could fill that role.

Hearts on a counting toy, representing how many children the author has

“Everything Counts”

When you're waiting to adopt, you count each day that passes. But how should I count my daughter-to-be, who is already a part of me?

A young child making the transition from home to school for the first time

Big-Kid School

If your child is off to preschool or kindergarten for the first time, you can ease her entry to the wider world outside your home.

A family formed via adoption, talking about "how we decided to adopt"

How We Decided

No one adoption route is right for every family. AF readers describe the thinking that went behind the route they chose.

Summer camp in New Mexico, where an adopted girl could spend time recovering from trauma

“Pocket Rocks”

A mother shares the story of her daughter's growth (who was once deemed "too small to fight for her needs") at summer camp.

Balloons representing the author's memories with her adopted daughter

“My Clutter, Myself”

Visitors to our apartment might see a mess, but I see the stories that bound me irretrievably to my daughter. Most of the time.

Would adopting older children internationally out of birth order make out family less "perfect"?

“Redefining Perfect”

After giving birth to a boy and a girl, I had what other people defined as a "million dollar family." A few years later, family and friends questioned our decision to adopt two older children, out of birth order, when we had the "perfect" family.

Individuation in Adopted Preteens

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?

Father reading with his daughter to ward off language impairment

Listen Up!

Does your preschooler have a speech or language delay? Here's how to find out — and get help.

Peer exclusion

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.

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