The path to adopting a child for many involves becoming a foster parent first. Learn about the risks, rewards, and responsibilities of caring for children in the U.S. foster care system.
“Why We Chose Foster Adoption”
Foster adoption was right for these three families. Read their stories to find out why.
Ask AF: Telling Our Child We’re Adopting
Answers to your parenting questions.
“Our First Choice”
I always knew I wanted to grow my family through adoption.
“What Plans?”
Adoption can be an unpredictable journey. We never realized just how unpredictable.
“Dear Friends and Family” — Sample Adoption Announcement Letters
You’ve made the decision to adopt. How do you tell friends and family? Use the following letters as guides when composing your own.
AF Asks: Tell Us About the First Moment With Your Child’s Birth Mother
Our Reader Panel responds.
“Wait Gain: How We Dealt with a Wait That Kept Growing”
Waiting can be brutal, but there are some benefits. Take it from someone who endured 30 months before she got to hold her son.
Specifying Gender When Adopting
We surveyed our reader’s feelings on specifying gender when adopting. Here’s what real adoptive parents had to say.
“Snowfall, and the Silence of Pregnancy”
I frequently found myself on the defensive while pregnant, afraid of what people might say and how they might judge me. I felt judged enough, being single and pregnant.
“Open Adoption Converts”
Nowadays, I can’t imagine my family having come together any differently. But it wasn’t always that way.
“Unleashing the Mom Within”
A 7-year-old girl helps this author discover her maternal side.
Surviving a Winding Road to Adoption
How parents-to-be can survive failed expectant mother matches, changes to country programs, foster placements that do not lead to adoption, and other potential heartaches along the way.
When Teens Explore Religion as Part of Their Identity
Teens have a lot of questions — including some about family religion.
“Promises the Adoptive Parents Kept”
The time I spent alone with my newborn daughter meant a lot. But the fact that she has grown up knowing me has meant the world.
“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.
“How I Discovered the Meaning of Motherhood”
It wasn’t until the birth of my daughter that I realized my son’s mother was his adoptive mother.
Adoption Celebrations for Every Family
When it’s time to celebrate, we take cues from longstanding traditions and blend in rituals created from scratch. The result? Ceremonies as unique as our families.
Legal Guide to Naming Your Child
What do we need to know about naming our child?
“Pushing Past My Fears to Become a Single Mother”
A recent “adventure vacation” I took with my daughter brought back memories of the scariest leap of all — becoming a single mom.