The term “Gotcha Day” has ardent fans and strong detractors in the adoption community. We asked Adoptive Families readers how they feel about it, and whether they use the term in their family. Here’s what you said.
The Tales They Tell
Preschoolers love stories. Listen carefully and you might learn a thing or two.
Ask AF: Sharing Negative Information
My nine-year-old daughter was adopted as an infant. She’s been asking me about her birth parents, so I searched. I was devastated by the information I found, and have no idea when and how to reveal the details. Her birth mother died from complications due to alcoholism; her birth father has done time in prison and is now AWOL.
Ask AF: When Mom Feels Hurt
Answers to your parenting questions.
New Questions About Open Adoption
As our child gets older, he keeps coming up with more and more questions about his adoption!
Bringing Up Birth Siblings
Our daughter has birth siblings she doesn’t know about, but we don’t know how to tell her.
Question Confidence
Other kids are going to ask about it — so prepare your preschooler for questions about adoption.
New Kid on the Block
Adding to your family again? Ease the transition for your preschooler by being prepared for new-sibling anxiety.
Understanding Your Preschooler’s Questions — “I Want That, Too!”
Your preschooler may ask you for all kinds of things. But what is he really saying?
Intercountry Adoption — Talking Truthfully About Trafficking
Talking to your child about the possibility of trafficking is not easy. Here’s how to open the dialogue.
Explaining Different Levels of Birth Mother Contact to Kids
We know very little about our nine-year-old’s birth mom, but her younger brother talks to his. How can we help her?
The Elephant in the Room: Handling Racism
We want to start teaching our daughter about racism early on, but we have no idea where to start.
Ask AF: Discussing an Unsuccessful Placement
Answers to your parenting questions.
“Who am I?” The Complex Quest of Adolescent Adoptees
Every teen is involved in the complicated process of forming an identity. For adoptees, the process has a few extra layers.
Ask AF: When a Partner Is Against a Second Adoption
“My child wants a sibling, and I’d like to adopt again, but my partner is against it (and has not been an very involved parent). What do I do?”
“How was the bonding?”
The woman’s question was the very one I had long ago asked strangers. And it was one I’d had to find the answer to on my own.
Ask AF: Explaining Foster Care
Answers to your parenting questions.
Share Your Story: How Have You Told Your Child’s Adoption Story?
How have you handled conversations with your child about his or her adoption story? Real AF readers answer.
“Our Conversations About Adoption”
When the TV broke down, the questions came up—hard ones.
Talking About A Difficult Adoption Story
What children don’t know can’t hurt them, right? Think again.