Adoptive Family Articles

What Causes Learning Disabilities?
Understandably, one of the first questions parents ask when they learn their child has a learning disorder is "Why? What went wrong?"


Reflections: An Adoptive Mother Shares Her Insights into Raising an Adopted Child

The following is an interview with Cheryl, a mother who adopted her son, Garrett, with American Adoptions 10 years ago. Cheryl reflects back on her own adoption journey, as well as what it’s really like to raise an adopted child.

Adoption and the Stages of Development

Learn how to explain adoption to your adopted child and how to address your child's questions and concerns about their adoption as they grow up.

Tips for Being a Nurturing Parent
A healthy, nurturing relationship with your child is built through countless interactions over the course of time. It requires a lot of energy and work, but the rewards are well worth it. When it comes to parenting, there are few absolutes (one, of course, being that every child needs to be loved) and there is no one "right way." ...


Understanding Your Child's Behavior
All parents struggle with some of the things their children do. While there is no magic formula that will work in all situations, it is helpful to understand the kinds of issues that impact a child's behavior. If you understand these issues and know what to expect at different developmental stages, your reactions will be wiser and it will be easier to create an environment that supports and nurtures your child.


Tips for Soothing a Crying Infant
One of the most stressful experiences for new parents is dealing with a crying baby. Babies cry for all sorts of reasons, and it's sometimes difficult to figure out why your baby is crying and how to soothe your baby. It's important to remember that crying is one of the main ways that babies communicate, and their crying can mean lots of different things. ...


Surviving Toilet Training
Most children are ready for toilet training sometime between their second and third birthdays. This is the same time that they are experiencing what many parents call "the terrible two's"—a time when the children are having their first experiences with the word "No!" and with exerting their own will and making their own opinions known. As wonderful and funny as two-year-olds can be, their willfulness and independence can make toilet training a real trial for their parents.


Dealing with Temper Tantrums
Almost every parent of a toddler has experienced the frustration of dealing with a child throwing a floor-thumping, hair-pulling temper tantrum. Even though this can be embarrassing and challenging for parents, this is normal behavior for most young children.


The Power of Choice
Would you like to get your kids to willingly cooperate? Stop the daily battles? Teach your kids valuable life skills? ...


Winning the Chore War
"How many times do I have to remind you to take out the trash?" Sound familiar? Household jobs are a part of every family's daily life, yet they tend to create ongoing conflict. ...