Talking with Kids about Adoption
Many parents fear having “the adoption talk.” They worry that it will be awkward, that it will make their child feel less special, that they should have done it sooner, or that they will make a mistake that will permanently damage their precious child. No need to worry, we are here to help.
Talking with kids about adoption is not a one-time event. Rome was not built in a day, nor is adoption explained all at once. Parents must gear their information to the age and developmental stage of their child.
Two of the best ways to begin the conversation and become more comfortable with the conversation are:
- Reading books about adoption to your children. We have an extensive list and reviews of the best adoption books for kids, and we break them out by type of adoption and age of the child.
- Creating a Lifebook for your child.
Check out the following Creating a Family resources to help you get started:
Creating a Family has many resources on how kids understand adoption at different ages and how to talk about adoption with kids to help you every step of the way. A few we think you will find particularly helpful are:
- How Do You Manage Intrusive Questions About Your Adopted, Foster, or Kinship Child? (article)
- Helping Your Adopted Child Handle Adoption Microaggressions (article)
- 6 Things Your Adopted Kids Need to Know by Age 6 (article)
- Transracial Adoption: A Mom & Son Talk About What They’ve Learned ( 1 hr. podcast w/ experts)
- Talking With Your Adopted or Foster Child About the Hard Parts of Their Story (1 hr. podcast w/ experts)
- Talking with Young Children About Adoption and Birth Parents (1 hr. podcast w/ expert)
- Suggested Books for Talking to Kids About Birthparents
Many more Creating a Family interviews with experts, blogs, and fact sheets on talking with adopted children about adoption can be found at the icons below.
Additional Resources
