When you lose a parent or grandparent, you mourn the past. When you lose a child, as I lost my 24-year-old daughter, you grieve for the future that will not be. By adopting after this unimaginable tragedy, I wasn’t aiming to bury my grief or to start over, but to start a new beginning.
Parents Share: “When I Knew I Was Going to Adopt”
Parents share the moment they knew in their hearts that their path to parenthood would involve adoption, whether they always knew or it came after years of trying to conceive.
Lessons I’ve Learned from My Children
Over decades as a foster and adoptive parent and an adoption social worker, I have mothered and supported hundreds of children. Each one has taught me more than I passed along to them. Here is just some of that wisdom.
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.
“Beyond All Expectations”
She went abroad intending to be an orphanage volunteer—and came back a mother.
Ask AF: What to Consider Before a Kinship Adoption Placement
“My cousin is pregnant but not ready to be a mom. She and I have discussed my adopting her baby. I realize we’ll need a lawyer, but what else will we need to do in order to adopt a family member’s child?”
10 Steps to Adoption
Step 1: “Forget everything you’ve heard about how impossible or hard it is to adopt.” Read this, and other pearls of wisdom from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Adoption.
“My Cardiologist Opened My Heart to Adoption”
The defective structure of my physical heart ultimately led my emotional heart to pause and consider—do I try for pregnancy, or for parenthood through adoption?
Share Your Story: How Did You Tell Your Extended Family?
Here are five of the thoughtful letters we received.
Share Your Story: Announcing Your Decision to Adopt
We polled our newsletter subscribers, “How did you tell your extended family about your decision to adopt?” Here’s what some of you said.
Share Your Story: Choosing a Gender
We asked our readers: should adopting parents be allowed to choose gender? This is what real parents shared about their decisions.
“You Have to Be Perfect.” And Other Adoption Myths
Sometimes it’s not just those unfamiliar with adoption who are misinformed.
Your Guide to Learning About Adoption Online
Make the most of your digital presence, and avoid scams or pitfalls with these six steps.
Deciding on a Second Child
More might be merrier, but the family dynamic is sure to change.
Ask AF: Our Only Child Is Asking for a Sibling
An adoptive parent wonders how to respond to an only child who keeps asking for a sibling. Real parents share their advice and stories.
“I’m Disabled. I Adopted.”
An accident left the author disabled, but not defeated. Having a physical disability doesn’t have to prevent you from adopting.
“I’m an Adoptee and Adoptive Parent”
My daughters and I have something important in common. We share the experience of joining a family through adoption.
“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.
Making the Decision to Grow Your Family Through Adoption
Have you been wondering whether to bring a second (or third) child into your home? An adoption social worker helps parents contemplating adoption to unpack their motivations and make the decision with eyes wide open.