We’ve decided to adopt an older child. We have two children now, and we’re wondering how best to integrate our new child into the family. What’s your advice?
Answering The Daddy Question
When children ask about a “missing spouse,” how should single parents answer?
Discussing a Difficult Past After Foster Adoption
My child’s background was tough. Now that he’s with our family, do we really need to discuss the past?
“Growing Up Feeling ‘Chosen'”
Children’s understandings of and personal fantasies about their adoption stories may differ from what you tell them. My version saw my parents wandering the aisles of “Baby Market.”
“Babies and Birth Moms and Bellies, Oh My!”
When our two children began to ask questions — lots of questions — my partner and I found answers in homemade adoption storybooks.
When Parents are the Educators
Raising adoption awareness at school can protect your child from thoughtless remarks and benefit classmates, teachers, and the school community. Just be sure to tread lightly and respect boundaries, especially your child’s.
Dealing with Differences
Our culture isn’t always compassionate toward those who fall outside the “norm.” But we can help our children embrace their uniqueness — and become more tolerant, too.
The Heart of the Matter
How do parents know when a child’s behavior is related to adoption, and when it’s not?
How I Explained Adoption to the First Grade
Using a favorite doll and a logic children can follow, one mother enlightens her daughter’s curious class about adoption.
A Bridge to Your Child’s Beginnings
In an excerpt from her book, Cindy Probst talks about why lifebooks, long treasured by foster adopters, make sense for all adoptive families.
Did I Come From Your Tummy?
Preschoolers ask the darnedest questions, but don’t be afraid to answer them.
Ask AF: Sharing Tough Information
“We have very little information about our five-year-old daughter’s birth parents, but what we do know is disturbing. When should we share this information, and how” Read Mary Ann Curran’s answer.
Ask AF: Sudden Secrecy About Adoption
When your child reaches his preteen years, he may deny his adoption to fit in with peers. Ronny Diamond explains how parents can cope.
Ask AF: Tailoring Talks to Understanding
If your child is developmentally delayed, you may wonder what adoption language is appropriate for him. Ronny Diamond answers.
The Power of Mom
Who can teach an adolescent boy to open up? You guessed it.
Ask AF: Explaining the Death of a Birth Father
Adoption expert Debbie B. Riley, LCMFT, discusses how to explain the death of a birth father to your child, especially when the birth father has been rarely mentioned.
Did I Grow in Your Tummy?
Three-year-olds are fascinated by pregnancy and families. Here’s how to have a “tummy talk” with your adopted child.
The Good and Bad of Being “Chosen”
How to make sure your child feels good about being adopted.
“In the Company of Heroes”
Janis Cooke Newman asks herself, “Am I overdoing this adoption thing?”
Mommy, What’s Donor Insemination?
How to answer this and other questions about how families are formed.