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[Book Review] Adopted Like Me
Let your child know that, through adoption, he or she joins the likes of George Washington Carver, Marilyn Monroe, John James Audubon, Aristotle, and others.
Announcing Your Decision to Adopt
A letter can deliver the news to loved ones in efficiently and affectionately. The key is to communicate how thrilled you are about adopting.
Adoption Scrapbooks: A Link to the Past
An adoption scrapbook lets parents and children create a sense of history and of belonging.
“How I Was (Sort of) Able to Breastfeed”
If breastfeeding had been easy in the past, adoptive breastfeeding couldn't be so different, or less rewarding, could it? More or less.
“Do Fan Dances and Tea Ceremonies Really Teach Us Anything?”
The museum view of culture and heritage ignores the realities of life as a racial minority. But there is a middle ground.
“Lessons Learned from a Failed Adoption Match”
When friends asked, I'd always assured them I wasn't sad that I hadn't given birth to my sons. A heartbreaking false start helped me see that I was truly at peace with that fact.
“Pulling Back in Open Adoption”
After a bump in the relationship with our daughter's birth mother, we're learning lessons about love, patience, and acceptance.
Ask AF: Changing a Birth Year
When we adopted our youngest daughter nine years ago, we were told that she was 18 months old. However, we have just learned that she is anywhere from two to three years older than we were told.
Special Report: Adoption & Teens — Parenting Strategies
Adoptive Families explores common situations you may face while parenting your adopted teen.
Answering Tough Questions
As your teen's thinking becomes more sophisticated, she'll want to know more about her adoption.
Answering Relatives’ Tricky Questions About Adoption
Adoptive parents are used to fielding questions about adoption — and most of us have an arsenal of replies to give the stranger in the checkout lane, but when it's a family member making the rude remark, snappy comebacks don't suffice.
The Reluctant Family
You're ready to adopt, but your spouse is reluctant. How can you get your "other half" (and family members) on board?
Domestic Adoption Showers
When their adoption date was uncertain, our readers took the opportunity to celebrate with their children in tow. Here, they share their experiences.
Adoptees on Open Adoption: “I Have All My Pieces”
Teen and young adult adoptees who grew up in fully open adoptions talk about their relationships with their birth parents and adoptive parents and the many benefits openness has brought them.
Ask AF: Explaining the Birth Mother Relationship
My husband and I have a friendly relationship with the birth mother of our 3-year-old daughter. We talk on the phone, exchange letters regularly, and visit a few times a year.
“Parenting a Child Who Was Terrified of Love”
When you adopt an older child who pushes you away in anger, you learn a different way to parent, to give love without immediately receiving it in return.
When Kids Deny Their Adoption
It's not uncommon for preteens to pretend they weren't adopted, in an effort to not be different.
“I Want the Same Hubbub That Surrounds Pregnancy!”
When I announced our adoption plans, I hoped for the same kind of excitement that pregnant women get. After all, the happiness we're expecting is the same.
“Teaching My Children That Black Is Beautiful”
I tell my African-American children that they are smart and beautiful because I know that the world may tell them otherwise.