What do you call the day your adoptive child came home? In this personal essay, one mother explains why "Gotcha Day" can be offensive for some adoptees.
Ask AF: Invasion of Privacy
We have emphasized that our kids should choose whether to share (or not) their adoptive status, but some of our friends don't seem to get it and tell others.
Avoiding Overwhelm During the Holidays
Most parents look forward to sharing this time of the year with their children. But less is often more when it comes to holiday activities.
Answering Kids’ Questions About Reproduction
Kids' questions about sex are a tad more complicated when adoption is involved. Here, our experts give you the answers you need.
“Our Agonizing Decision to Decline a Referral”
We thought accepting a referral would be the easy part. It wasn’t.
Breastfeeding Without Birthing
A lactation consultant and breastfeeding adoptive mom explains how to achieve a nursing relationship with your baby.
Q&A: Bryan and Angela Tucker of Closure
After a lifetime of wondering who? and why?, an adoptee set out to find some answers. The award-winning documentary that follows her birth family search has already sparked thousands of dialogues.
“Was I Alone in the Hospital?”
Seeing where she was born—where she stayed with her birth mom and where we met her—gave my daughter greater confidence in her adoption story.
Ask AF: Comforting a Child During Temper Tantrums
Answers to your parenting questions.
Is Adoption Sad?
We may feel one way or the other, but it's our kids who must decide.
Wanting to Be Like Everyone Else
Your preteen just wants to be cool. But how can he, when he's "different"?
Star of the Week
Fielding questions about adoption at school starts early. Is your child ready?
Prenatal Drug Exposure — What Parents Need to Know
If there’s a possibility that the baby you are planning to adopt was exposed to drugs in utero, what should you be prepared for?
“How I Finally Got Into Club Mom”
The cruelest parts of infertility? Having to attend baby showers, coo over ultrasound pictures, and being told it's "God's will" that you're still childless.
The Adoption Transition Diet
Dana E. Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., on introducing new foods and addressing feeding challenges in a newly adopted child.
“Real-World Lessons”: Adopting a Teenager from Foster Care
We adopted a teenager from foster care as veteran parents and thought we were prepared for what lay ahead—but our new son still taught us a thing or two.
How Should New Parents Navigate the Hospital Experience?
Our open adoption expert explains how prospective adoptive parents can best navigate the emotional time spent at the hospital with the birth mother before bringing their new child home.
Ask AF: Inappropriate Affection
Our seven-year-old daughter was adopted about nine months ago and is adjusting well. We wonder how to respond when she shows inappropriate affection to family members or friends.
The Evolving Conversation
Should parents initiate talk about adoption or wait for their child's questions? Sometimes you lead, say the authors, and sometimes you follow.
When Children Deny Their Heritage
A strong connection to role models and to others who share their ethnic background is as important now as ever.