Parenting Issues for Adoptive Families

Please find some of our best articles, essays and reviews on this topic.

For more topics and articles, check out our full listing on our Resource Library.

Too often adoption is pathologized as a “problem," but the better approach is to understand it as an issue, not good or bad, but simply “normal" under the circumstance of adoption. Adoption calls for parenting in new ways that are different than families where children are all born to their parents, which makes it important to think about strategies that help children articulate their feelings and address their issues in healthy and supportive ways. Topics range from deciding to adopt to parenting issues over the lifetime of children, beginning at infancy and extending to adult children.

If you prefer, you can use our Library Search Tool to search by title or author. All the material in this section is copyrighted by Pact; for permission to reproduce or re-post it, please contact us at education@pactadopt.org.

• "Racially Conscientious" - Parenting In A "Colorblind" Society
  by Terry Keleher (2011 | 124 KB | )
  
• 8 Ways to Handle Adoption Questions
  by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg (2011 | 65 KB | )
  
• A Different Kind of Normal
  by Joan McNamara (1998 | 339 KB | )
  
• A Father From the Beginning
  by George Harrar (2011 | 111 KB | )
  
• A World of Hurt Even a Mother Can’t Soothe
  by Meri Nana-Ama Danquah (1997 | 118 KB | )
  
• ADHD and African American Children
  by Willie B. Garrett (1996 | 96 KB | )
  
• Adopting Again: Talking to the Other children in the Home
  an interview with Sharon Kaplan Roszia (2001 | 89 KB | )
  
• Adoption and Generations
  by Linda Yellin (1998 | 81 KB | )
  
• Adoption and My Life
  by Gail Steinberg (1997 | 91 KB | )
  
• An Entrustment Journey
  by Fran Cooper Materra (1995 | 312 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Homeschooling
  by Pact (2010 | 345 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Keeping it "Real," How to Talk About All Your Child’s Parents
  (2011 | 119 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Taking Risks and Making Connections
  by Martha Rynberg (2012 | 127 KB | )
  
• Ask Pact: Talking with a Preschooler about Birth Parents
  (2011 | 119 KB | )
  
• Attachment in Early Childhood
  by Marjorie Grace (1998 | 333 KB | )
  
• Balance Beam: Being A Parent/Being Adopted
  by Susan Ito (1997 | 327 KB | )
  
• Beyond Black History Month: An Interview with Michael Thompson
  (2011 | 119 KB | )
  
• Birth Mother Survey
  (1997 | 96 KB | )
  
• Blended Families
  by Beth Hall (2000 | 54 KB | )
  
• Bonding and Attachment: How Does Adoption Affect a Newborn?
  by Gail Steinberg & Beth Hall (1998 | 406 KB | )
  
• Book Review: In Their Parents’ Voices
  by Rita Simon and Rhonda Roorda  (2006 | 104 KB | )
  
• Book Review: Parenting Adopted Adolescents: Understanding and Appreciating Their Journeys
  by Gregory Keck (2009 | 408 KB | )
  
• Book Review: Post Adoption Blues
  by Karen Foli & John Thompson (2007 | 95 KB | )
  
• Book Review: The Identity Trap: Saving Our Teens from Themselves
  by Joseph Nowinski (2008 | 403 KB | )
  
• Book Review: You’re Not My REAL Mother!
  by Molly Friedrich (2005 | 83 KB | )
  
• Brown Babies, Pink Parents: A Practical Guide to Transracial Parenting
  by Amy Ford, Reviewed by Shannon Riehle (2011 | 101 KB | )
  
• Building Racial Identity
  by J. Todd Chas (1997 | 96 KB | )
  
• Building Racial Identity - The Challenge of Religion
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1997 | 116 KB | )
  
• Can White People Nurture Black Kids Effectively?
  by RoAnne Elliot (1998 | 111 KB | )
  
• Children In Transition
  by Devon Rubin (2009 | 308 KB | )
  
• Choosing Adoption for One Child and Not Another
  by Brenda Romanchik (1995 | 334 KB | )
  
• Coming Full Circle, Becoming a Parent
  by Hollee McGinnis (aka Lee Hwa Yeong) (2009 | 114 KB | )
  
• Different Birth Families of Adopted Siblings
  by Pam Hutsell (1994 | 110 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner - Building Racial Identity Strategies and Practical Suggestions
  by Beth Hall (1996 | 108 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner - Seeking Solutions
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1992 | 105 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Adolescence Who Am I? Where Am I Going?
  by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg (2003 | 98 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Adoptive Breastfeeding - Pact’s Point of View
  by Beth Hall, Molly Brannigan & Martha Rynberg (2011 | 487 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Anger & Mood Swings in Tweens & Teens
  by Beth Hall (2008 | 114 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Facing Our Worst Fears Telling the Truth to Adopted Children
  by Beth Hall (2010 | 144 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Getting Over It and Stepping It Up
  by Beth Hall (2011 | 130 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Respecting Children’s Pain
  by Beth Hall (2011 | 123 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Things We Have Learned Along The Way -- Parenting a Child with Learning Disabilities Differences
  by Beth Hall (2005 | 118 KB | )
  
• Director’s Corner: Why Did This Happen To Us?
  by Beth Hall (2012 | 123 KB | )
  
• Emotion Coaching: Teaching Your Child to Self Regulate
  by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka (2009 | 332 KB | )
  
• Executive Parenting Strategies that Work
  by Jim Manhoney (1995 | 341 KB | )
  
• Family Stories: What Sophia Needed, Open Hearts, Open Minds
  (2011 | 1.85 MB | )
  
• Far Away From the Tigers: A Year in the Classroom with Internationally Adopted Children
  by Jane Katch, Reviewed by Alison Seevak (2011 | 113 KB | )
  
• Feelings of Differentness
  by Jean Benward (1994 | 106 KB | )
  
• Film Review: Foster Parents Speak: Crossing Bridges and Fostering Change
  by Photosythesis Productions (2009 | 469 KB | )
  
• Four Lifelong Issues in Adoption
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (2007 | 116 KB | )
  
• Grief
  by Beth Hall (1997 | 108 KB | )
  
• Hambun-Hambun
  by Susan Ito (1995 | 339 KB | )
  
• Helping Your Child Develop A Positive Racial/Ethnic Identity
  by Jeannie Lin (2000 | 57 KB | )
  
• How Did You Get So Close?
  by Holly van Gulden (1998 | 331 KB | )
  
• How Do We Measure Potential for Success in Adoptive Parents?
  by Beth Hall (2010 | 59 KB | )
  
• If The Shoe Doesn’t Fit
  by Gail Steinberg (1995 | 131 KB | )
  
• In Utero Drug Exposure - The Impact on Language Development
  by Kimm E. Bolding (1995 | 120 KB | )
  
• Infertility and Aftershocks
  by Patricia Irwin Johnston (1998 | 336 KB | )
  
• Issues for Asians in America
  by Katherine Kam (1992 | 92 KB | )
  
• Jigsaw Puzzle: Adopted Children of Color
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1992 | 118 KB | )
  
• Letting Go - Launching Adolescents
  by Beth Hall (2007 | 49 KB | )
  
• Living An Open Adoption
  by Jennifer Ferrara (1997 | 120 KB | )
  
• Looking At Kinship Adoption - Hammering Out Bits And Pieces Of The Elephant: An Interview with Sharon Kaplan Roszia
  Interviewed by Gail Steinberg (1993 | 340 KB | )
  
• Loss of Innocence
  by Becca Martinson (1995 | 95 KB | )
  
• Mia’s Art: What I Learned From My Daughter’s Self Portrait
  by Elise Crum (2010 | 101 KB | )
  
• Non-Adoptee Privilege
  by Kelly Reineke (2009 | 67 KB | )
  
• Not Just "White Parents with Kids of Color" - The Importance of Racial Identity Work for Parents
  by Gina Miranda Samuels, Ph.D., MSSW (2012 | 129 KB | )
  
• Openness In Adoption
  by Pact (2010 | 52 KB | )
  
• Our International Adoption Packing List
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (2000 | 109 KB | )
  
• Pact Camp Offers Parenting Insights FCC Northern California, Summer 2006
  by Annie Stuart (2006 | 66 KB | )
  
• Pact Family Stories
  (2012 | 2.54 MB | )
  
• Pact’s Perspective on Therapy and Adoption
  by Jeannie Lin in collaboration with Pact staff (2004 | 340 KB | )
  
• Parenting the Next Time
  by Brenda Romanchik (1997 | 325 KB | )
  
• Please Tell Me What I Should Do?
  by Lynn Lape (1996 | 111 KB | )
  
• Positive Discipline
  by Lisa Kelly (2010 | 329 KB | )
  
• Prenatal Substance Exposure: What Parents Need to Know
  by Pact (2010 | 59 KB | )
  
• Prepare In Order To Protect
  by Beth Hall (2009 | 56 KB | )
  
• Proactive Parenting: How to Recognize Issues and When to Seek Help
  by Dee A. Paddock (1998 | 327 KB | )
  
• Quien Yo Soy? Identity Issues in Trans-ethnically Adopted Children
  by Beth Hall (1992 | 108 KB | )
  
• Recognizing Loss
  Becca Martinson (1994 | 106 KB | )
  
• Rejoice in What Unites Us - Creating Kinship Systems
  by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg (1994 | 110 KB | )
  
• Seeing A Child Through The Lens Of Temperament
  by Rona Renner (2010 | 144 KB | )
  
• Shared Fate in Gay & Lesbian Families
  by Julie Randolph (2004 | 94 KB | )
  
• Sibling Attachment
  by Patricia Irwin Johnston (1996 | 336 KB | )
  
• Speaking of Birth Parents
  by Marta Barton and Beth Hall (2000 | 125 KB | )
  
• Still Parenting After All These Years
  by Gail Steinberg (1992 | 96 KB | )
  
• The Benefits of Co-Sleeping
  by Molly Brannigan (2009 | 350 KB | )
  
• The Best Support
  by Carol Schaefer (1992 | 313 KB | )
  
• The Body’s Wisdom
  by Carol Schaefer (1995 | 324 KB | )
  
• The Book Worm: Mixed Race Literature
  by Michele Rabkin (2010 | 316 KB | )
  
• The Decision Makers?
  by Barbara Termitiere (1995 | 324 KB | )
  
• The Godparents Council
  by Michael-David Sasson and Kirsten Cross (2010 | 122 KB | )
  
• The Importance of Support
  by Becca Martinson (1992 | 94 KB | )
  
• The Making of a Scholar
  by Vera Landry (2008 | 334 KB | )
  
• The Real Daughter
  by Colleen Houlihan  (1994 | 106 KB | )
  
• The Rights of Fathers in Prospective Infant Adoptions
  by Jon Ryan (1998 | 117 KB | )
  
• Transracial Adoption - A Response to Jim Mahoney
  by Theresa Hughes (1992 | 108 KB | )
  
• TV and ADD
  by Foster W. Cline (1996 | 124 KB | )
  
• Twinning Through Adoption
  by Kimberly Simpson (1997 | 94 KB | )
  
• We Are Family
  by Marcia Burnell (1998 | 112 KB | )
  
• When Do You Follow When Do You Lead - Talking to Children About Adoption
  by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall (2002 | 127 KB | )
  
• White Parents Identity
  by Deborah Haynor & Lori Miller (2006 | 121 KB | )
  
• Who Are The Real Parents - Revisiting Extended Family as a Support System for Children in Need of Adoption or Foster Care
  by O. Virginia Phillips (1995 | 111 KB | )
  

return to top ^