Table of Contents: Fall 2013 Issue

 

Features

Magical Moments of 2013 Cover Photo Contest

We asked to see our readers’ cutest and cuddliest photos. See the winners!

Fostering Positive Perceptions

When asked about the U.S. foster care system, many respondents weren’t sure what was myth and what was truth. Learn the facts.

Supporting Birth Mothers, Strengthening Families

Women who place a child for adoption often have unmet needs, says a national survey. On Your Feet Foundation provides insight into birth mothers’ emotional experiences and life after placement.

Emotional Pictures

Use this guide to plan a family movie night or two. These flicks will captivate your kids, and open up adoption talks long after the credits have rolled.

30 Ways to Celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month

Ideas for raising adoption awareness in your community.

Handout: Helping Classmates Understand Adoption

Distribute this handout to other parents at your child’s school, or send it home with his classmates after an adoption presentation.


Personal Essays

She’s Leaving Home

My daughter, whom I swear I just brought home yesterday, is gracefully settling into college. As for me…

Certificate of Live Birth and Parentage

My son’s birth mother’s identity is not a secret to us. Her name should be on his birth certificate, too!

Playing for Real

My daughter’s vivid fantasy life brought therapeutic benefits to both of us—and a whole lot of fun.

Welcome to the Family

After discouraging our family from traveling to be there when our daughter was born, I mourned their absence at the hospital. Enter her birth relatives.

Nine Belated Birthdays

My daughter’s tenth birthday was the first one we were part of, and the first birthday party she’d ever had. Here’s how and why we decided to redo all the others.


Growing Up Adopted

The Early Years: Re-establishing Sleep Patterns

How parents can help a newly adopted baby to sleep soundly—on his own.

Preschool: Adoption Playgroups

An adoption playgroup can be a wonderful source of support for parents, as well as children.

Elementary: The Very Quiet Child

All kids are shy sometimes, but what can a parent do for a child who is painfully introverted? Start with these 10 tips.

Middle and High School: Birth Parent Fantasies

Your teen probably spends a lot of time thinking (or fantasizing) about her birth mother. Here’s how to get some of those thoughts out in the open.


The Experts

25 Ways to Nurture Hurt Children

The coauthors of Parenting the Hurt Child offer 25 ways parents can nurture a child adopted at an older age and begin the bonding and attachment cycle.

Which Laws Apply to My U.S. Adoption?

In an domestic adoption, it’s not always clear-cut which state’s laws will apply to the process. An adoption attorney explains how to determine “choice of law.”


Departments

ASK AF

AF PICKS: Gifts that Give Back


Thank You to This Issue’s Sponsors:

America’s Christian Credit Union
American Embryo Registry
Dave Thomas Foundation
Gerber
Similac

Bethany Christian Services
Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital
Forever Families Through Adoption
Independent Adoption Center
Michael S. Goldstein, Adoption and Family Law

Adoption by Shepherd Care
Adoptions from the Heart
Adoptive Parents Committee
Children’s Connections Inc.
Cono Christian School
EAC
US Adopt
Valley Health System

Top