Explaining Adoption to a School-Aged Child

As children grow, they start to ask even tougher questions about adoption. For example, if the birthmother was poor, why didn't someone give her money so she could be a parent? Or, if she wasn't ready to be a parent, why didn't someone teach her what she needed to know? Why did she think a child had to have two parents? Your child might know lots of kids who have just their mom or dad. In fact, maybe you're a single parent yourself. If so, why couldn't the birthmother be a single parent?

Explaining Adoption to a Child: Handling Sensitive Situations

In many cases, parents can tell their children that birthparents made a positive choice to place them for adoption. But sometimes the situation was not so upbeat or easy to explain. Here are a few situations that make telling problematic for some adopters:

Explaining Adoption to a Teenager

It's important that children know they were adopted before they reach adolescence; it's too turbulent a time to suddenly surprise them with the news. Even if your teenage child already knows, however, he may still have questions.

Adoptive Parent Rights

There are also several other adoption issues affecting adoptive parents that are handled differently by different states. Here are a few of them:

Adoption: When Problems Occur with Birthparents

Although your relationship with the birthparents may start out great, sometimes problems develop later on. Keep in mind that relationships with family members (including one's own parents) are sometimes strained, so it shouldn't be surprising if problems occasionally surface with an open adoption.

Your Family's Reaction to Adoption

If you have no children now and you plan to adopt, you can bet that your lifestyle will change. Your parents probably realize it. They know parenting isn't for sissies. Here are a few issues that might concern your parents and some thoughts that might be running through their minds:

Answering Questions About Your Adoption

After you've adopted your child and introduced him or her to your family, friends, and acquaintances, be prepared for an onslaught of questions—some of them quite rude. For instance, don't be surprised if someone asks you whether the child's birthmother used drugs or was an alcohol abuser, or how much the child cost. Of course, if the child had been born to you, no one would dare ask you those questions. You are under no obligation to answer them.

Discussing Adoption with Your Family and Friends

You can be sure that if you're thinking about adoption, just about everyone you know will have an opinion about whether you should (or shouldn't) adopt. But the problem with listening to everyone else is that you will receive conflicting advice. Also, the people telling you what to do probably don't know squat about adoption. They all want what they think is best for you—but how can they know what truly is the right choice for your situation? Answer: It must be your decision.

Common Core Confusion: A Guide to Understanding Your Child's Schoolwork

If you have a school-aged child currently learning under the Common Core Standards, you might have noticed that the curriculum your child is learning is vastly different from what you remember from your own school days. Does your third grader's homework seem impossible to you? Does your second grader mention terms you've never heard before?

The Birthfather's Role in Adoption

Gay and Lesbian Adopters

No one knows how many adopters are gay or lesbian, although some agencies openly welcome gay, lesbian, and bisexual applicants. It may well be that more gays and lesbians are seeking to adopt than in past years, as societal acceptance increases. But many people still don't reveal their sexual orientation to others, often because they fear that they'll be turned down by agencies (despite what they say) or because they want to retain their privacy.

Where to Adopt a Cat

Adopting a kitty who needs a home can be a rewarding experience for both of you. As an adopter, you'll know you've helped save a life and gained a best friend in the process. And cats who have lost their homes seem to understand and appreciate their good fortune when they do find new loving families.

Moms and Their Young Adult Daughters: Generations in Conflict

According to research, the primary difference that separates mothers and daughters is the younger generation's "social and psychological freedom to defer motherhood" and develop their own potential.

A secondary difference among factions of younger women, depending on their upbringing, includes a rejection of the supermom format or the adoption of motherhood as their primary identity. The following sections explain this in detail.

Let's compare supermoms and their daughters.

The Rights of Grandparents

Grandparents don't have a lot of legal rights, though they do have a few. In all states, the courts can grant visitation rights to grandparents (Grands, your partner's parents, or Other Grands, your partner's ex's parents). But just because they petition doesn't mean they will win—it's gotta be in the best interest of the child. Sometimes the grandparents have to prove that they have a deep and lasting relationship with the grandchild. Sometimes they'll gain visitation if the child lived with them for a while.

Adoption: Surviving Your Social Worker

Most adopters are at least a little afraid of their social worker—whether they admit it or not. Most social workers are compassionate people who want adopters to succeed. But they are human, and they have human flaws. Here are a few do's and don'ts on dealing with your social worker as you wait:

Teaching Safety to Your Preschooler

When you teach safety rules to your preschooler, it will help if you provide clear reasons for the rule. "Because I said so" may win some degree of compliance, but will not convince your child to make it his own rule, too. Try to help your four-year-old understand that these rules are not intended to spoil his fun, only to keep him safe. The more fair and reasonable your rules seem to your child, the more likely he is to adhere to them and adopt them as his own.

Safely Ever After: Educating Children About Child Predators

When it comes to child predators and stranger safety, many parents are in the dark about what to say to their children. Some parents approach it too seriously, while others use scare tactics and other unwise methods. Pattie Fitzgerald, founder and creator of Safely Ever After, Inc, has some expert advice on how to broach the topic in a way your children will understand, without making them overly fearful of strangers.

Sparkle Germs

Activity for an individual child

Age group: 30-40 months

Duration of activity: 10 minutes

Materials:

• Craft glitter

Young children are often resistant to washing their hands. It is hard for them to understand things that they cannot see. Here is a concrete way to teach them about germs and the importance of washing hands.