The breakup of a family can be especially hard for adopted teens. Here's why.
Letting Teens Take the Reins
As teen's desire more control over their lives, they want to be the decision-makers in determining contact with birth family.
Connect with Your Teen at Family Movie Night
Can't get your teen to talk? Rent a movie.
Does Your Teen Fear Going to College?
Help your teen adoptee overcome fear of leaving home with this advice.
“What Do I Tell My Teen About His Birth Father?”
Your teen will want to know more about his birth father—and his birth parents' relationship.
[Book Review] A Ghost at Heart’s Edge: Stories and Poems of Adoption
While adoption as a plot device pervades popular culture from Shirley Temple to Star Wars, it's rarely the stuff of serious contemporary fiction or poetry. Or so I thought until I read A Ghost at Heart's Edge, the dazzling literary anthology edited by Susan Ito and Tina Cervin.
[Book Review] My Alternate Life
Trinity B. Jones is a foster kid who's "been to enough adoption picnics to know that adoptive parents want a cute little baby to hold, not a 15-year-old with brown skin, a 34-C, and a nose ring."
Talking to Teens Who Don’t Want to Talk to You
It's important to look for those natural, easy times when personal, tender issues can be touched upon.
[EXCERPT] The Art of Waiting: “Baby Fever”
Belle Boggs's The Art of Waiting sets her own struggles with infertility within a larger framework of sociological, cultural, biological, and literary attitudes toward reproduction and motherhood. In this excerpt, she explores "Baby Fever," the longing have a child that sent many of us on our infertility and adoption journeys.
“My Child is Being Teased at School”
Sometimes school brings tough situations, like teasing, tricky assignments, and nosy questions. When should kids handle things on their own, and when should a parent step in?
“Are Adoptive Moms Allowed to Have a Bad Day?”
After finally realizing my dream of becoming a mother, I found what most new parents find—along with the bliss come days filled with crying, spit-up, and leaking diapers. But when I dared to vent, I was chided: “You wanted to adopt…you asked for this!”
Strengthening Your Family Around the Dinner Table
Want to strengthen your teen's sense of belonging? Make family meals mandatory.
Searching for Answers…with Google?
The Internet requires a cautious approach when teens are looking for answers about adoption.
News Brief: China Announces Changes to Its International Adoption Requirements
In July 2017, China announced updated requirements regarding the composition of the prospective adoptive family and the timing of applications.
“How Do I Fit Into My Family?”
As your teen heads toward adulthood, she'll strive to discover who she is.
Parent-to-Parent: Explaining Attention and Questions from Strangers
When you and your child don't look alike, the world wants to know why. Parents who adopted transracially share how they explain strangers' questions and comments to their children.
Ask AF: Sharing Painful Birth Parent News with My Child
"I just discovered that my daughter's birth mother died. My daughter is a preteen and rarely asks about her birth parents. Should I tell her this now, or wait? And, if so, how do I bring it up?"
Ask AF: My Husband Wants to Keep Adoption “Secret”
"My husband was advised that some adoptive parents 'hide' the adoption process and feign pregnancy on social media for friends and extended family. Has anyone done this?"
When Classmates Ask
How can you help your child answer adoption questions with confidence—and handle any queries that come your way?
Russian Adoption: A Brief History & What’s Behind the Current Media Attention
What ended Russia’s intercountry adoption program with the U.S. in 2013 and why is it generating political heat again?