FAIR
Talking About Adoption Family Cultures Behavior Emotions and Development Therapy and Support |
School and Education Health and Growth Birth Family Contacts Preparing for Adoption Personal Experiences |
News from FAIR is published quarterly for FAIR members. Many (if not most) of the articles are contributed by adoptive family members, and describe first hand personal experiences and insights or offer strategies that have worked for adoptive families.
These archives contain a number of articles that have been published in the past. More articles will be added regularly. To receive the magazine, which includes children's art, photos, inspiration, and more, see membership page.
Last revised: 01/02/08
How adoptive families discuss adoption with their adopted and biological children, their extended family, teachers, family friends, and interested strangers.
Subcategories: children, relatives, teachers, friends, acquaintances
Issues and challenges facing adoptive families.
Subcategories: becoming a family, lifelong issues, creating attachments, sibling relationships, discipline, marital stresses, extended family
- adoption disruption : Adoption- Impact On The Family
- adoption triad : Lifelong Issues in Adoption
- emotional issues : Lifelong Issues in Adoption
- child's perspective :
- impacts on siblings :
- older child adoption :
- parenting skills : Creating a Harmonious Home
- realistic expectations :
- sibling adoption : Siblings
- sibling relationships :
How cultures blend in adoptive families, whether they are inter-racial or not
Subcategories: celebrations, holidays, inter-racial families, blending cultures in your family, culturally influenced behavior
- child's perspective :
- Korean New Year : One Day At School
- transcultural families : Keeping the Promise
Troublesome behaviors often seen in adopted children.
Subcategories: tantrums, stealing, lying, dressing inappropriately, hoarding, firesetting, running away
- emotional reasons for behaviors :
- parenting skills : Creating a Harmonious Home
- stealing : Stealing
- strategies for parents :
- survival behavior : Siblings and the Adopted Child
Discussions of the emotional experiences and needs of adopted children and adoptive families at all stages of life.
Subcategories: pre-teens, lifelong issues, grief, loss, anger, teenagers, young children, young adults
- adolescence : Lifelong Issues in Adoption
- emotional reasons for behaviors :
- grief and loss :
- guilt and shame : Lifelong Issues in Adoption
- intimacy : Lifelong Issues in Adoption
- life long issues : Lifelong Issues in Adoption
- older child : Occupation- CHILD
- positive adoption experience :
- pre-teens : Adaptive Grieving - Natural for Adopted Child
- reflections about birth families and mother : On Adoption
- regression : Stealing
- rejection : Lifelong Issues in Adoption
- strategies for parents : Some Thoughts On Surprise Packages
- transitions :
- teenagers :
Discussions of different therapy and support options for adoptive families.
Subcategories: when therapy is needed, what's normal, choosing a therapist, kinds of therapy, connecting with others in similar situations
- adoption disruption : Adoption- Impact On The Family
- choosing a therapist : Therapy - Some Thought from a Consumer
- developmental re-parenting : Baby Time
- positive thinking : Some Thoughts On Surprise Packages
- strategies for parents : Some Thoughts On Surprise Packages
- therapeutic models :
- what to expect : Therapy - Some Thought from a Consumer
Issues and concerns about how adoption is handled at school and the troubles that adopted children may have.
Subcategories: special education, IEP, teachers, deciding on a grade, English as a second language, behavior at school, homework, discipline at school and home, teacher interventions, older child adoptions, emotional age
- celebrating cultures : One Day At School
- emotional age : In the Classroom - helping foster or late-adopted children to succeed
- older child adoptions : In the Classroom - helping foster or late-adopted children to succeed
- personal experiences :
- preparing for school : Polly's Pointers - A View From The Chair
- preparing teachers : An Open Letter - Dear Teacher
- strategies for parents : Turning School Days Into Golden Days
- teacher interventions : In the Classroom - helping foster or late-adopted children to succeed
- transitions : Polly's Pointers - A View From The Chair
Common health-related concerns of adoptees.
Subcategories: effects of institutionalization, common international diseases, foster care, fetal alcohol syndrome, disabilities
How adoptees, adoptive families, and birth families interact.
Subcategories: searching, visits, open adoption, what it means for adoptive parents, stories about birth families and mothers
- birthmother's perspective : My Dear Child - Letters From Korean Birthmothers
- child's perspective : Dear Birthdad
- questions about birth family : Mysterious Vickie
- reflections about birth families and mothers :
Concerns and issues for families adopting for the first time or considering special needs adoption.
Subcategories: choosing an agency, understanding the issues, open adoption, transcultural adoption, international adoption
- adopting your foster child : From Foster Parent to Adoptive Parent- A Strengths and Needs Worksheet
- adoption triad : Psychoeducation for Pre-Adoptive Families
- child's perspective :
- impacts on siblings : Keeping Healthy Siblings Healthy When One Child is Acting Out
- older child adoption :
- potential issues : Some Thoughts On Surprise Packages
- preparing children for new siblings :
- realistic expectations : The Quick Cure
- sibling adoption :
- special needs : Love Is Not Enough
- understanding the issues :
First-person discussions of the adoption experience.
Subcategories: opinion, poetry, stories
- birthmother's perspective : My Dear Child - Letters From Korean Birthmothers
- child's perspective :
- Adoption Days
- Adoption is...
- Can You Parent a Child With a Disability
- Dear Adoptive Parents
- Dear Birthdad
- Dear Prospective Parents
- Graduation
- Happy Mother’s Day to My Two Moms
- I Wish I Wish
- Mysterious Vickie
- Not Alone
- One Word
- Prejudices That I Do Not Like
- Roots
- Sad-Sad
- Sinbad- Quality Television or Just Another Comedy?
- Sometimes I Have A Hard Life
- Taking A Stand
- Talking About Adoption
- The Folks Who Couldn't Come
- The Second Time Around Is The Hardest
- The Value of Adoption
- Who I Am
- culture : AM I AN AMERICAN? A Vietnamese-American Life
- family : Family
- grief and loss : A Grief Shared
- international adoption :
- parent's perspective :
- poetry :
- positive thinking : Some Thoughts On Surprise Packages
- realistic expectations : The Quick Cure
- school :
- self image :
- siblings :
- sibling's perspective : Education
- teen perspective :
- therapy and support : Not Alone
- transcultural adoption : Keeping the Promise
- young adult : My Respect