Talking About Adoption

It can be difficult for parents to find the words to talk about adoption with their children and others. Adoptees may not know how to respond to questions from classmates or strangers. Find resources in this section to help families and adopted people talk about adoption.

Helping Your Child Transition from Foster Care to Adoption
Series Title Factsheets for Families
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
Download (PDF - 484KB)
Order (Free)
Year Published 2018
Offers guidance on helping children with the foster-to-adoption transition process, including specific coping strategies for different developmental stages. Explores ways to promote attachment and provides resources available to help families with permanency.

How and When to Discuss Adoption With Your Child
Bliss (2017)
Psychology Today
Presents age-specific ways to share a child's adoption story with them in order to support positive identity development.

Positive Adoption Conversations: An Adoptive Families Guide (PDF - 2,376 KB)
Adoptive Families (2020)
Connects with articles highlighting a variety of topics related to postadoption conversations, including discussing adoption with friends and family and explaining adoption at school.

Respectful Ways to Talk About Adoption: A List of Do’s & Dont’s
Healthychildren.org (2017)
Explains specific ways to frame adoption discussions, including language about birth parents choosing not to parent and the adopted child’s country or family of origin.

Talking About Adoption
Creating a Family (2015)
Provides interviews with adoption professionals, blogs, and suggested books on how parents can discuss adoption with their children in a manner that is developmentally appropriate. Resources include the following factsheets:

Talking With Kids About Adoption
Diamond
Parents
Focuses on driving, age-specific questions that adoptive children may have throughout childhood and ways in which parents can respond appropriately to these questions.

Talking With Your Children About Adoption C.A.S.E. Fact Sheet Series
Singer (2015)
Center for Adoption Support and Education
Highlights topics that parents will likely need to address with adoptive children, including introducing the concept of adoption and discussing difficult information through a three-part factsheet.

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