The day my partner adopted our daughter
My partner recently adopted our daughter — the one she has parented since birth — and simultaneously everything and nothing about our family changed .
How can my partner and I find common ground about adopting vs. having biological children?
Tara and her partner aren’t quite on the same page about what their future family will look like — how can they come to a mutual decision?
Baby wearing made me a Mom
Here’s how Maura found closeness with her foster son through baby wearing.
Losing a child who never existed: considering parenthood when you’re bipolar
Olivia and her husband planned for a child, only to find out that having Olivia go off her bipolar meds wasn’t an option they could take. Now, they’re moving in a new path toward parenthood.
Fielding questions about adopting — what you should say, and what you should avoid
Suggestions for both parents who are planning to adopt, and friends who are surprised by their “We’re adopting!” exclamation.
Building a family through semi-open adoption
Every family has an origin story. The boundaries of my own little family are less clear than most — we are a family formed through a semi-open adoption.
I’m a stay-at-home sister. Let me tell you about The Look.
In traditional terms I wouldn’t be considered a parent. I have never given birth, I hold no legal guardianship over another life, but I was born a mother. My maternal instinct kicked in early. I love taking care of people and kids absolutely melt me. So when my mom started talking about wanting to become involved with foster care I absolutely supported her.
I saw my birthdaughter, she loves me
I recently saw my daughter for the first time in about a year. She turned 6 this past fall, is going to school, and looks just like me. She calls me by my name. I think if she ever called me her mother, I’d cry as I corrected her. She may be my daughter, but I am not her active parent, her active mother. I am her birthmom — not as a derogatory term, but simply as a clarification. A different type of mother.