The Adoption Circle

Searching for Birth Parents Abroad
Sometimes it may not be a great idea to search internationally for your adopted child's parents. Read more >>

Who Searches for Their Birth Parents and Some Reasons Why They Do It
Which children search for their birth parents? Why do they do it? Studies say that searching for birth parents is now a normal part of adoption. Althoug children often wait to search for birth parents, they are not more maladjusted or unhappy with their adoptions than those who don't. Read more >>

Educating Children to be Part of the Adoption Community
People in the adoption community are reaching out to promote acceptance of adoption as just one of the many ways to form families. The adoption community is committed to these efforts because an increase in generalized knowledge about adoption can help to foster use of positive language and greater sensitivity to appropriate boundaries around private information. A more widespread emphasis on the positive outcomes of adoption can also promote understanding and acceptance by young people who are increasingly likely to encounter classmates and neighbors in adoptive families. Read more >>

Making the Decision to Adopt
People adopt children for a variety of reasons. Some couples adopt because of a wish to expand their families and/or provide a home for a child in need. Some couples adopt because they feel that they are too old to pursue pregnancy and birth. And of course, both singles and couples adopt because of infertility. While the decision to adopt after infertility comes easily to some couples, most people do not experience this decision as easy. Instead, the decision making process in adoption is usually quite difficult and emotionally challenging. Read more >>

Entitlement and Claiming in Adoption
It is critically important it is for adoptive parents to come to terms with all the losses related to adoptive parenting. Entitlement incorporates all the responsibilities and risks of parenthood. Ddoptive parents can develop a sense that their child belongs with them by finding the similarities they share with their children in mannerisms, personality characteristics, or even in physical appearance. Read more >>

The Adoptee Search: Looking for the Missing Piece
Adoptive parents need to know that it is normal and necessary for children to search for information about their birth and heritage. Regardless of how we feel as parents about the concept of search, the most important thing is to focus on what is best for our children. To do that, it is helpful to look at search through the eyes of adoptees themselves and then to consider how that information relates to the unique needs of each of our children. As adoptees go in quest of information about their past, is that the facts have been lost or hidden. It is difficult for those of us raised in our birth families to fully comprehend how it can feel to go through life without very basic details about our existence that most of us take for granted. Read more >>

Beneath the Mask
Defining their identity is a challenge for adopted teens gbecause they are without the basic knowledge of where they came from as they try to gain understanding of their personal adoption experiences. Often there is a void of vital information for both parents and therapists of adopted teens, but there are some commonalities among all the adolescents. Learning what questions adopted teens face can help them figure out who they are. Read more >>

Forming a Sense of Self: Multiple Choices for Adoptees
All of us, in the course of growing up, form a sense of identity by building on our experiences and how we interpret them, how others respond to us, and what groups or individual role models we choose. The goal is to establish a stable and positive sense of self that will support our ability to function productively and to establish and maintain relationships. Adoptees face extra challenges as they follow the normal path to forming their sense of self. Read more >>

What Kinds of Emotional Issues will my Adopted Child Face during Adolescence?
Adopted children and adoptive parents know that despite how healthy their families are, as children enter adolescence, emotional struggles require parents' support and guidance. As adopted teens begin to explore and question their identity, beliefs and values, they may trigger deeper emotional issues related to adoption. Read more >>

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