Parenting

Survival Guide for Parents of Newborns

Sleep No kidding, if at all possible sleep when the baby sleeps. For sure you, mom, as your body needs...

Newborn Baby Care

Basic baby care goes something like this: Babies have three primary functions at this point—they eat, sleep and poop. Usually...

Newborn Safety

Car safety Obviously the way to get the baby home from the hospital is in a car. If you have...

Helping Children Welcome a New Sibling

Here are some ideas for helping children welcome a new sibling: Ahead of delivery, talk about what the new brother...

Starting School & Disclosing Adoption

Adoption & Classroom Activities: Preschool to Kindergarten

What most parents don’t consider is that even in these early grades, there will be classroom activities that will touch...

Infant – 3 years old

Just because they don’t understand adoption, does not mean that they should not hear the word or their story. The...

4 – 6 years old

Continue answering honestly: “She has a baby in there.” If they ask if they came from your belly, answer “No....

7- 9 years old

They compare themselves to others. Their behavior, language and fashion style are being shaped by what they see and by...

Preteens

Preteens are more influenced by peers and are exposed to new ideas and lifestyles. In their desire to belong, they...

14 – 16 years old

Teens often accept the opinion or direction of a peer or adult mentor (such as a teacher or sports coach)....

17 – 18 years old

Adoption should have been discussed throughout their lifetime, the process explained and questions answered. There may still be unknown information...

Siblings

If adopted themselves, this is a great opportunity to discuss adoption in general with your child and to add details...

Grandparents

You have a lot of fears. What you know about adoption is from the media. All of those situations end...

Including Child’s Heritage in Holiday Celebrations

FOODS Add a dish from your child’s place or birth to your menu. Search World Cuisine here. Make an equivalent...

What If We Don’t Celebrate Christmas

Your family may have its own rules, expectations and observances. Just because the majority of American families celebrate Christmas doesn’t...

Handling Your Child’s Holiday “Gimmies”

Everywhere you look, there are catalogs, print ads, commercials and jingles encouraging you to “choose me” for the holidays. In...

Holiday HELP

(H) HOLIDAY TRADITIONS Think through your family traditions, past celebrations and events. What do you wish to celebrate this year?...

Celebrating Birth Mother’s Day

History of Birth Mother’s Day Unlike Mother’s Day, Birth Mother’s Day is not a holiday that is marked on the...

Newborn – 18 months

Infants – 18 months Infants prefer the sound of familiar voices, which are reassuring and soothing. The volume and tone...

18 months – 3 years

They also like looking at pictures of themselves, family members, friends and places they know. They can look and listen...

3 – 4 years old

They like repetition, which enables them to dissect, understand and give back information, such as directions or likes and dislikes....

4 – 5 years old

Continue to share your child’s adoption story with them, adding a few more details each time. Then, ask your child...

6 – 7 years old

Comparing oneself to peers and insecurities is common for all children at this age. This is also the age, when...

8 – 9 years old

They are more independent and trying to fit in. They are socially active and want to be one of the...

10 – 13 years old

You want to be part of that conversation. They can become moody and try to push you away in an...

14 – 16 years old

Teens are developing an identity and are influenced by who they are, who their friends are and who they want...

17 – 18 years old

They have hopes and dreams for their future, fall in love easily and frequently and turn to peers as role...

Adult “Children” of Adoption

Being an adult is all about experimenting with the things you learned and the values you were taught and believe...

Knowing When You’re Ready to Talk

You have even read articles about it, looked at children’s books to read with them and spoken with other adoptive...

Teens with Special Needs

Add in any kind of special need and parenting becomes that much more complicated. It’s true that not all children...

Common Conditions in Toddlers

So what’s a parent to do? The best first call is most often to your pediatrician’s office. By now you...

Disciplining Young Children

Webster’s dictionary defines discipline as training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. So disciplining children...

Parenting Siblings

Of course not all siblings are equal. The first one gets all the firsts, the baby book, the “oohs” and...