Families share their experiences with school and adoption issues.
Share Your Story: Transracial Parenting
We asked readers what tips, resources, experiences they had to say about transracial parenting. Here, we share their responses.
“The Perfect Season of the Heart”
A father and son find that, in the face of catastrophe, despair, and death, the antidote is life.
“How I Met My Daughters”
I may not remember when I first knew I wanted to be a mother, but the moments leading up to and the first time I saw my daughters are indelibly etched in my memory.
“Dear Other Mothers…Thank You”
My greatest joy, becoming a mother, happened because both of my children lost the one person no child should have to lose.
Dealing with the Unwanted Spotlight
When children enter a family as older children or teens, or even when older children who are adopted move from one school setting to another, some of the ordinary issues of school life can become complicated for them.
Share Your Story: Naming Adoptive Children
In "Naming Madison", Dawn Friedman argued in favor of keeping her daughter's birth name. We asked our readers: Should adoptive parents choose their child's name?
News Brief: Financial and Social Pressure and Lack of Support Factor Into Expectant Mothers’ Decisions
Expectant mothers who chose adoption most commonly cited financial pressure, social stigma, and a lack of support before and after placement in interviews with the Donaldson Adoption Institute.
One Partner Wants to Nest, the Other Wants to Wait
A hopeful adoptive mother who's just started the adoption wait is ready to nest and get the baby's room ready—but her husband wants to wait. Parents who have been there offer advice.
“Awake at Last”
Sometimes love comes easy. Other times, it must be earned. This is the story of how I let go of my preconceived ideas about bonding and motherhood and became brave enough to trust my heart.
Privacy, Please!
Surprised by your grade-schoolers sudden need for personal space? Don't be. It's normal.
Letters to the Editor, RE: February 2017
Readers share feedback about articles from the February 2017 issue of Adoptive Families magazine.
Supporting Your Teen’s Developing Identity
Questions from their peers get more complicated for our teens—and their peers' questions may reflect their own worries about adoption.
“On Choosing, or Changing, Schools”
As I weighed diversity, academics, and other factors when choosing schools for my transracially adopted children, I perpetually second-guessed myself. But now that my kids are teens, I’m ready to trust their decisions.
Ask AF: Readjusting to Younger Kids as an Older Mom
An older mom who's enjoyed the relative freedom of parenting teens is nervous about readjusting to more hands-on parenting when she adopts a young child. Parents who have been there offer advice.
Ask AF: How to Encourage a New-Sibling Bond?
"We adopted our 10-year-old daughter as an infant, and adopted her seven- and eight-year-old biological sisters last month. How can we help all three girls bond with each other?"
“Sometime in the Night”
In this personal essay, a single dad shares the story of the night he met his daughter in China.
“Adopting From Russia…Again?”
One thing led to another, and we became—unexpectedly—twice blessed.
10 Ways to Build Trust with Prospective Birth Parents
10 ways to show respect and build trust.
How Did Your First Child React to the Arrival of a Second?
How did you work through sibling issues/rivalries at the time of the adoption and in subsequent years? How about instances in which one child receives more attention than another or silly questions? (Is that your "real" sister?) Our readers respond.