by Gregory C. Keck and Regina M. Kupecky There is a common children’s verse that says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” For the abused child, nothing could be further from the truth. While the effects of physical abuse usually heal over time, the psychological insults experienced by
Continue reading »by Dr. Jane Aronson Introduction The establishment of age for children adopted from abroad can be challenging for parents and adoption professionals. When children have been left in a public place without a note, adults are forced to guess the age. For infants, this age assignment is pretty easy especially if there is a remnant
Continue reading »by Christine Mitchell, author and illustrator Recently my daughter asked me, with a sad expression, “How come babies have to come out of their mom’s tummies?” I wondered if it was bothering her that she did not ‘come from my tummy’. I considered asking her if this was troubling her, but I didn’t want to
Continue reading »Emotional Vulnerabilities of an Adoptee: I need help in recognizing my adoption loss and help with grieving it. I need to be assured that my birth parent’s decision not to parent me had nothing to do with anything defective in me. I need help in learning how to deal with my fears of rejection—to learn
Continue reading »by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg Racism: A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities. A belief that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Sexism: A prejudice or discrimination against someone on the basis of gender. Adoptism: A belief that forming a family by birth is
Continue reading »By Brenda McCreight I often feel that being the mother of 14 children is enough of a challenge. My kids present me with something to new to adapt to on a daily basis. And, the social, academic, and emotional stresses that confront my children each day makes them develop a pretty high level of adapting
Continue reading »Talking with adopted children about sensitive adoption topics may feel like a sunny Sunday stroll through a minefield. Parents may not see the explosion coming, but they sure feel its effects—and most parents scramble to do triage! But trying to pick up the pieces of an unsettling conversation is not nearly as productive as going
Continue reading »As a new parent you may begin to anticipate that your child may have questions concerning his or her background. It is advisable to prepare for the multiple answers that you may feel you have to provide. Although it is true that your child may not understand the full meaning of adoption until they are
Continue reading »And .. Why it is important by Chris Winston Adoptive parents are forced to examine many things about themselves and about adoption itself. It is not a one-time event, but rather, an ongoing process as we struggle to raise our children in the best way possible. Those of us who have adopted interracially find that
Continue reading »by Gregory C. Keck, PhD The trauma of hurt children who go into adoptive homes is often so dramatic that the adults involved in the situation cannot deal with it. I believe that is why parents and social workers focus too much on what few “positives” there are about hurtful birth parents, and inadvertently minimize
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