The SPOON Foundation and JCICS have recently partnered to launch a website, Adoption Nutrition. It looks like a great resource, featuring, for example, a section with nutrition profiles for various countries where children are adopted from.

About one-third of families who adopt internationally have smooth transitions; another third or so have some difficulties, but manage to work through these issues; and another third have serious and more pervasive problems. In these more difficult circumstances, even the best parents are often not prepared. Those families who are struggling need support, like every [...]

Because of the profound impact that the parents’ attachment style has on a child’s emotional well-being, we as adoptive parents need to understand our own attachment style if we are to help our children, especially those with difficult histories.

Fortunately, as a child’s environment changes and the neurotransmitter levels become normal, the child’s behavior changes, further changing the brain chemistry. This then affects the brain structure and operation, helping the brain, which is malleable, to then return to a more normal state.

Adopting out of the birth order can be done, but certain considerations should be acknowledged for the sake of your children in the home and the child you are adopting.

Sensory processing disorders can require a lot of work and understanding from parents. In helping and nurturing our children through the issues and conditions they will face, our ultimate goal is to bring glory to God.

On November 15, 2010, Congress joined together across party lines to pass S.1376, the International Adoption Simplification Act, which will allow parents to internationally adopt older children (ages 16 and 17) when adopting a younger sibling.

As your adopted children head to school — whether for the first time or not — you may wonder how to talk to your children’s teachers about adoption and adoption-related challenges your children face. Heartofthematterseminars.com has prepared a wonderful document to help you think through how to help both your children and their teachers. Download [...]

I don’t claim to know a ton about attachment and bonding, but we have read a fair amount on the subject and tried to prepare ourselves for anything. If you are waiting for your adoption to be completed right now, spend some time reading about attachment.

Recently I was asked by a colleague my thoughts regarding an adoptive couple who wanted to stand outside an abortion clinic and tell each woman that they would adopt the unborn child if  she would choose adoption over abortion. After considering the family’s plans  for a moment and all the negative press that they could receive, I said it was all [...]

A response from Nightlight’s Executive Director, Ron Stoddart: When a child is legally adopted in the United States, that child bears the same relationship to their adoptive parent(s) as a biological child would to their parents.  The adopting parents accept all of the rights and obligations of the parent-child relationship.  When a child is legally [...]

This National Pubic Radio article is based on a survey to determine how children who were adopted fare. There is not a separation under the term ”domestic” adoptions  for those adopted as infants, as opposed to those who were adopted by relatives–and usually older. It is estimated that 40% of all domestic (non-foster care) adoptions are by step-parents and relatives. Although [...]

Open to openness means that the adoptive parents should be willing to meet with the birth mother before the baby is born, be with her at the hospital, and provide her with pictures and letters after the child is placed with them.

Tree, gifts, spiral ham and sparkling cider – we are not talking about gross excess here, but the simple things that are a traditional part of our culture. It’s the question of spending money that does not absolutely have to be spent while we are facing the inevitable reality of significant bills related to adoption.

Over at the Adoption Guide’s Advice page, I came across a document labeled “Accurate Adoption Language,” which links to a PDF entitled “Positive Adoption Language.” The fact sheet (reprinted from OURS Magazine, May/June 1992), has a fairly complete listing of preferred language (which it calls “positive”) and dispreferred language (called “negative”) for talking about adoption. [...]