Parents' Voices
Our readers share their adoption journeys— how they decided to adopt, the ins and outs of open adoption, exploring their children's cultural connections, connecting with birthmothers, and more.
Making the Decision
- The Pain of Infertility
Emotions run high when you're waiting for a child. - Just Adopt
Well-meaning people say, "just adopt." If they had a clue! - Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother
A fiercely honest look at the emotional complexities of newborn adoption
- Three Families Who Chose Foster Adoption
What drove their decisions?
- Adopting Older Children
One mother explains how foster adoption became the right road for her family
- Connecting With a Culture
A woman's ethnic heritage leads her to adopt from Guatemala
- Our Journey to Lucy
One couple's decision to adopt internationally, and the steps they took to bring their daughter home
The Adoption Journey
- Our Russian Adoption Journey
Although this mom enjoyed the time she spent in Russia, the best part of the trip was coming home as a family.
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What the Books Don't Tell YouA new dad looks back on the "secrets" he learned while adopting his child
- Three Families Who Chose Foster AdoptionWhat drove their decisions?
- Open Adoption: Our Story
A mother and her child's birthmother forge a unique, enriching friendship
- Loving My Child's Birthmother
How two moms with different adoption routes opened their hearts to their children's birthmothers
- The Friendship Game
A woman's friends and neighbors help her through the process—and celebrate her daughter's arrival
- Child's Perspective on Adoption: The Day That Glowed as Bright as the Sun
A 10-year-old remembers the day his foster parents became his forever parents.
- Single Parenting: Until the Real Thing Comes Along
An unmarried woman adopts a Chinese baby and discovers fulfillment.
Becoming a Family After Adoption
- Newborn Adoption: Would He Love Me?
Her son's arrival would put an end to the heartbreak of infertility. Why was she so worried?
- Newborn Adoption: How We Bonded
Parents share what they did to overcome their concerns about attachment
- Newborn Adoption: More than Skin Deep
She was someone else's daughter for nine months in utero
- Transracial Adoption: An Unmatched Set
Could she love a child who didn't look like her?
- Cambodian Adoption: A Boy Like Him
The mother of a now-adult adoptee looks back on how they became a family.
- China Adoption: Helpless Love
How the idea of parenthood can sneak up on you.
- Ethiopian Adoption: A Home for Helen
A five-year-old finds a home in America.
- Russian Adoption: Someone to Watch Over Me
A toddler from Russia flourishes despite 15 months in a Moscow orphanage.