Answers to your parenting questions.
(Finally!) Feeling Like A Parent
We asked our readers, "When did you know in your heart that you were a mother or a father?" Here's what they had to say!
“To My Son, From Your Birth Father”
Compiling a scrapbook for the son he's never known, a father confronts his grief.
Adoption Day Celebration
Our readers share how they celebrate the anniversary of their child's adoption and how to balance the celebrations so biological kids don't feel left out.
Different, Yet the Same
Playmates and mentors can help children find common ground.
Ask AF: Building a Relationship With Birth Siblings
Answers to your parenting questions.
“Fantasies of Family”
Sometimes a household of two can feel a bit small.
“Seizing the Day”
I might never have decided to adopt had I foreseen what was to come in other areas of my life. But when I imagine life without my daughter, I know there was no other choice.
“My Inconspicuous Family”
We were prepared to raise a child who looked nothing like us. But things changed when we found out that our new daughter did...sort of.
A Bridge of Love: One Family’s Entrustment Ceremony
An entrustment ceremony is an powerful place to embark on our lives as adoptive parents.
“Our Conversations About Adoption”
When the TV broke down, the questions came up—hard ones.
“Here and Now, If Not Always”
My hope, as a single foster mother, is to provide at least a temporary period of calm in a stormy childhood.
30 Questions All Adoptees Want Answered
All adoptees grow up with questions about their birth parents, the circumstances of their adoptions, and more. Here they are.
Saying “No!” (Without Guilt)
Your preschooler pleads for things and refuses to listen. Why is it so hard to set limits?
New Baby, New Family Traditions
Rituals are the glue that binds a family together.
“The Birth Parent Reunion Roller Coaster”
After 26 years, I thought 'happily ever after' was about to begin.
“Becoming Craig’s Mother”
My younger son's arrival signaled the end to a decade of heartache due to secondary infertility. So why was I so sad?
“The Day I Joined a Forever Family”
A 10-year-old recalls the day a foster family became a forever family for him and his sister.
Talking About A Difficult Adoption Story
What children don't know can't hurt them, right? Think again.
“Losing Touch with Birth Parents”
When my son was six years old, his birth mother closed the door on our open adoption. Were we wrong to include her in his life?