My seven-year-old daughter, adopted at age three, can’t fall sleep without skin-to-skin contact (stroking her arm or back).
Ask AF: Attachment to One Parent
The two-year-old we've adopted lived with her birth mother, and had never been around men before. She wants nothing to do with my husband, which hurts him greatly.
Ask AF: “Was I Bad?”
Our eight-year-old has been telling his classmates that his birth mother "gave him up" because he was "bad."
Ask AF: Kids’ Books About Open Adoption
Can you recommend picture books about open adoption?
Ask AF: Adoption Assistance Program
What is an adoption assistance program?
[Book Review] Born From the Heart
Reactions to Born from the Heart have been mixed.
Ask the Transracial Parenting Expert: Teens and Dating
Our 14-year-old daughter is starting high school this fall. What might we expect in terms of dating?
Ask the Doctor: Asthma
Our child's referral says he has asthma. How will this affect him? What can we do to optimize his care?
Ask the Transracial Parenting Expert: Helping Teens Answer Questions About Race
"Last week, my teenage son told me that he was tired of having to explain himself wherever he goes. Why is this happening, and how can I help him?"
“A Mother’s Day Not About Me”
To the birth mother of my three children through adoption, wherever you are, I say thank you for allowing me to be their "other" mommy.
Setting Boundaries in Open Adoption
In an open adoption, your child's birth parents become part of your extended family. Here are some common questions when it comes to managing those relationships.
Nourishing Beyond Growth Charts
How to assess a newly adopted child's nutritional status and get a malnourished child's growth on track.
Shifting Your Mindset to Become a Multicultural Family
After you adopt a child from another culture, how do you adapt to life as a multicultural family?
Sharing Difficult Details with Your Child
Experts offer talking tips and sample language for discussing neglect, abuse, abandonment, and other painful parts of your child's adoption story.
“My Decision to Adopt Transracially”
I thought. I researched. I talked. But in the end, it took a leap of faith to adopt across racial lines.
Ask AF: Adoption Visa Clarification
We finalized our daughter's international adoption a few years ago, but haven't gone through the naturalization process yet.
“Presenting Adoption to My Fifth Grader’s Class”
Adoption presentations in first and second grade are easy. Then what?
“Pre-Parenthood: Surviving the Home Study”
It's home study day and I'm not perfect yet.
Child-Created Lifebooks
Even if you've made a scrapbook or lifebook for your child, kids this age like to tell their own stories. Here's how to help.
Deborah Gray on Attachment
Adoptive Families sat down for a Q&A with attachment guru Deborah Gray. When will a parent know a bond is in place? How can working parents solidify their connection with a newly adopted child? We asked these questions and more.