"From an early age, my children needed to know where they belonged—and the birth country where they came from."
How to Photograph Your Adoption Trip
Whether your adoption takes place in the US or abroad, its sure to involve travel to another city. Here's what you need to know to bring back memorable photographs and video footage of your adoption trip.
“Overcoming All Odds”
Although we knew our South American-born son would face challenges growing up in a predominantly white middle class suburb, we were totally unprepared for what was to come.
Are You Considering Transracial Adoption?
If your family is thinking about adopting a child of a different race, spend some time answering these six questions to help determine if it's right for you.
Creating a Photographic History for an Older Child
Pictures help show our children that their lives matter, and that they are part of a family. A photographer and adoptive mom offers her advice for taking and preserving meaningful moments.
“Race…and Starbucks”
My parents were immigrants from Germany and India, my husband also comes from a mixed background; we have one biological child, and one adopted from South Korea. What makes my daughter Korean? What makes her American?
Ask AF: When a Child Questions Adoption vs. Biology
"Recently, my 12-year-old has been questioning whether an adoptive mother can really love her children as she would biological children. She'll say things like, 'You think you love us, but you would love a child you gave birth to more. How should I talk with her about this?"
Parent-to-Parent: “Your Child Looks Just Like You!”
We asked our readers how they respond when someone comments that their child "looks just like" them. Read the answers.
Who You Calling a Tiger-Mom?
As the parent of an Asian child, I am constantly called upon to help my daughter navigate between diminished achievements and heightened failures.
Letters to the Editor, RE: February 2018
Readers share feedback about articles published in the February 2018 issue of Adoptive Families magazine.
Ask AF: Because Baby Showers Are Bad Enough Without Nosy Questions…
When you struggle with infertility, baby showers can be painful reminders — and often lead to nosy questions, like, 'So, when are you going to have a baby?' Parents who've been there advise on how to respond.
TB and Adoption: What Parents Needs to Know
Many think of tuberculosis as a thing of the past, but it's one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. Here, learn what TB tests your adoptive child might need.
“Beyond All Expectations”
She went abroad intending to be an orphanage volunteer—and came back a mother.
10 Tips for Adoptive Parents
Step 1: "It is possible for many people to adopt children, babies and older kids." Read this, and other pearls of wisdom from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption.
“Visiting Our Daughter’s Russian Orphanage”
Three years after her adoption, we returned to our daughter's Russian orphanage to visit her caregivers and friends there.
“Black, White, and the Cornrow in Between”
While it might have been “just hair” to me, the emotions were far more tangled for them, with roots deep into the history of oppression between our two peoples.
Parent-to-Parent: The First Time You Saw Your Child
We asked our readers: Tell us about the first time you saw your child. Was in the hospital or in a referral photo?
“Buying the Lie About Infertility and Adoption”
Somehow, somewhere in my mind I believed that becoming a mother through adoption would erase my infertility. But one pregnancy announcement after another from family and friends soon made it clear that this was far from the truth.
The Four Agreements in Open Adoption
Lois Melina offers personal reflections on making relationships between birth parents and adoptive families healthier—for the sake of our children, using the principles of The Four Agreements.
“A Family Renewed”
Can adoption be an act of faith after the greatest loss imaginable?