Our children’s adoption stories aren’t always easy. Here, tips for telling the tough stuff to your kids. by Rebecca Klein One of the toughest problems adoptive parents face is that of talking to our children about the reasons they were placed for adoption. Our families are so happy and loving that we hate to bring […]
Archive | Adoption
Growing Up Adopted: Ages 6-8 Money Worries
The recession is a grown-up problem, but adoptees may worry that money-related concerns might jeopardize their forever family. Here’s how to calm their fears. With news about the recession and unemployment rates, even young kids are likely to hear some scary things. Little ears pick up cues from the TV, from older siblings, and from […]
Lifebook Lessons
Five experts answer your questions in this how-to guide for creating what will likely become your child’s favorite read-to-me book. by Editorial Team Your child’s story begins before you met. It may contain a large cast of characters, perhaps a touch of mystery, and more drama in a month than many people experience in years. […]
Time for Camp?
Parents wonder if preteens will experience separation anxiety at sleep away camp. Learn how to tell if yours is ready, and then ease the transition. For many tweens, sleep away camp is an exciting adventure. Spending a few weeks away from home can give a child more confidence and reinforce his feelings of love and […]
When Birthmoms Get the Blues
After an adoption is finalized, birth parents may experience intense depression or grief. If it happens in your open adoption, here’s what you can do to help. Even birth mothers who feel certain about their adoption plans are sometimes surprised by the intensity — and complexity — of their feelings after their baby is born. […]
Split Decision / The Reluctant Family
When the “adoption option” comes to the table, there may be spouses — or several family members — who are reluctant to move forward. by Lisa Milbrand It’s often played for laughs in TV shows and movies — the nervous husband who jokingly asks if there is a money-back guarantee if he is unhappy with […]
“A Tale to Treasure”
Your child’s adoption story is a tale you’ll tell over and over. Put words (and pictures) to paper with these pointers to create an adoption story book that’s guaranteed to be your child’s favorite bedtime read. by Lisa Milbrand When my husband and I decided to adopt, we filled our bookshelves with every adoption-related […]
Telling the Adoption Story Through a Child’s Eyes
Even if you’ve made a scrapbook for your child, kids age 6-8 like to be in charge of their own stories. Here’s how to help them create an adoption lifebook. Many parents chronicle their child’s story in a scrapbook or adoption lifebook. As a toddler and preschooler, your child probably enjoyed looking at the pictures […]
Beyond “Happy”: New Parents Have Complex Feelings
By Joni Mantell on August 18, 2015 in Adoption, Family Building Options, Featured in Adoptive Families, NEW Articles
You will feel elated when you finally bring your child home, but you might also experience other emotions on the outskirts of that joy — from lingering sadness about infertility to echoes of failed matches to becoming a parent literally overnight. by Joni Mantell, LCSW You are finally home with your newly adopted child, and you’re […]
How to Talk to a Child About Adoption from Infancy to Age 12
How to Talk to a Child About Adoption from Infancy to Age 12 Time: 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Date: Sunday, June 14, 2015 Location: Learning Center at Babies”R”Us, 24-30 Union Square East, Manhattan, NY, NY This workshop is for adoptive parents, pre-adoptive parents and professionals. Some adoption agencies will accept this workshop as credit toward the home […]
Therapeutic Writing for Adoptive Parents and Parents-to-Be
By Joni Mantell on May 14, 2015 in Adoption, Family Building Options, Infertility, Open Adoption, Pre-adopt
Parenthood — whether we’re anticipating and planning, or already in the thick of it —can sometimes be hard to wrap our heads and hearts around. Putting words to complex and amorphous thoughts and feelings can be challenging. In this group, we’ll explore our internal experiences around adoptive parenthood through short writing exercises — such as […]
Not Me
Written By: Danny O’Neil “I have good news for you Bob, we’ve been able to locate your mother and she has agreed to talk to you”, she continued, “She’s waiting for your call.” I stood in the middle of my kitchen and felt all light-headed and buzzy. This was a moment I’d always fantasized about. All those […]
Girl’s return to Peru sparks effort to help orphans
By: CNN (CNN) — Ana Dodson was 11 years old when she returned to her native Peru for the first time since she was adopted as an infant. According to the Dodson’s, the girls at the orphanage are flourishing; they love to show off their favorite books and read aloud. She and her mother, Judi Dodson, were […]
Personal Identity: A Core Issue of Adoption
Written By: Jeremy Robbi, M.A. The development of a positive personal identity is a common theme among transracially-adopted children. As a biracial transracial adoptee myself, I encountered several challenges growing up while developing my own identity. I would advise parents to be cognizant of two things as they endeavor to raise their transracially-adopted child to have a healthy sense […]
Sandcastles and Waves
Written By: Marni Denenberg, an Adult Adoptee and Adoption Professional marnijill@comcast.net Life as a teenager is often described as “the best of times,” but also confusing times. For the teen who was adopted, it may seem even more confusing. I was there, I know. I was adopted at birth. All I knew about my adoption: it was […]