Raising Adopted Kids

Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao is a family therapist specializing in adoptive families and author of the book The Family of Adoption. She discusses how to talk to children about adoption, how to help children feel good about themselves and how parenting an adopted child differs from parenting biological children.

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Hit the Highlights

How should parents talk about adoption at different ages?
What are some of the typical differences between children adopted at an older age as opposed to infant adoption?
Is there a difference between the way boys and girls view adoption?
Are there open adoptions in international adoptions as well as in domestic adoptions?
What is the distinction between privacy and secrecy in relation to the adoption story?
What are some of the developmental issues most adoptees face as different stages?
How to find a therapist for a child struggling to deal with their adoption? What questions should parents ask?
Should difficult information about a child’s past (ex. conceived by rape or incest) be shared with a child and at what age?
How should parents deal with families who are unsupportive of an adoption?
What are some of the differences between parenting an adoptive child and parenting a biological child?
What can parents do to help form a healthy trans-racial family?
What are issues that adult adoptees have?