The Adopted Child in Society—No Longer a Stigma Attached Not so long ago, adopted children were viewed somewhat as social outcasts—the perception often being that they were “illegitimate” or “bastards.” In fact, until the advent of so-called open adoptions, even adoption professionals took a pretty secretive approach to the process. Often, parents would hide the […]

The Importance of Counseling in the Adoption Process An adoption is a monumental event in the lives of the child, the birthparents and the adoptive parents. It’s not a decision to be made lightly, and probably not a process to experience without some form of counseling. Counseling for Adoptive Parents Many adoptive parents, unfortunately, fail […]

Open Adoption—The Option to Maintain Regular Contact For many, the idea of an open adoption is a little unnerving. Adoptive parents fear that they’ll continually run into the birth parents at the mall or the grocery store, and that children will have a difficult time understanding that their adoptive home is now their home. Studies […]

New Jersey Law Grants Adoptees Right to Birth Certificate More than 70 years ago, the New Jersey legislature passed a law sealing the birth records of anyone who had been adopted, claiming that it needed to be done to protect the rights of birth mothers. However, as adoption has lost a lot of its social […]

Post-Adoption Services in the United States Though many adoptive parents might initially disagree, the period leading up to an adoption is often perceived as perhaps the easiest part of the process. While the matching of adoptive parents to child has a significant impact on the ultimate success of the adoption process, post-adoption services, such as […]

Census Statistics Show Characteristics of Adopted Children and Stepchildren Approximately 4.5 million children in the United States live either as adopted children or as stepchildren. In the latest U.S. Census report, considerable information was gathered about those children. There does not appear to be an appreciable difference geographically regarding the adoption of children. The percentage […]

Federal Laws Governing Adoptions—The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Though most laws governing child welfare are enacted by the state, there are federal laws and regulations that affect adoption. One of the most important is the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (the “ICPC”). An Overview of the ICPC The ICPC was […]

The Steps to a Successful Adoption If you’re seriously thinking about adopting a child, here are some of the things you’ll want or need to do to improve your chances of a successful adoption: Learn as much as you can about the adoption process: You’ll have lots of options—domestic vs. international adoption, open vs. closed […]

Overcoming the “Perfect Family” Myth in Adoption Many prospective adoptive parents have an inordinate fear of the process, worried that they won’t be perceived by birth parents or agency workers as suitable parents. The reality, however, is that there is no such thing as the “perfect family” or the “perfect parent.” The most prevalent misconception […]

So you’re thinking of adopting a child, or you are already in the midst of the adoption process. You may wonder whether parenting an adopted child differs significantly from parenting a biological child. The answer, according to most experts—in most ways, it doesn’t, but there are some unique issues you will need to watch out […]