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.
“Googling Her Birth Parents”
Would it really be possible to fill out my daughter's hazy memories by typing names into a search engine?
“Re-Celebrating My Daughter’s First Nine Birthdays”
My daughter's tenth birthday was the first birthday party she'd ever had. Here's how and why we decided to redo all the others.
How to Adopt from Foster Care
Thousands of children in the U.S. foster system are waiting for adoptive families. Here, learn how to adopt and get answers to common questions about adopting from foster care.
“Adopting a White Child Across Racial Lines”
When the social worker brought my new daughter to my house, she wasn't the African-American girl I was expecting. And so we became a transracial family.
Ask AF: Defining Special Needs
Are all children from foster care considered "special needs," and, therefore, eligible for the full adoption tax credit?
“Simplifying My Life as a Single Parent”
As crazy as it sounds, the transition from being childless to becoming a parent has given me time I didn't have before.
10 Lists to Help You Prepare for Adoption
A list of lists to help you through the adoption process and wait.
Adoption Films for Family Movie Night
Use this guide to plan a family movie night or two this season. These flicks will captivate your kids, and open up adoption talks long after the credits have rolled.
“Dear Infertility Patient”
From a woman who finally became an adoptive mother after a decade of trying, here are a few things I wish someone had told me years ago.