The New York Times recently had a story about a man who found an abandoned baby in a New York subway.  It goes on to tell how he and his partner found themselves in court 3 months later when the judge unexpectedly asked him if he would like to be a foster parent to this ...

  By Jeannine Zoppi, Ph.D. Birth fathers, even if unknown, influence the lives of adopted children.  However, birth fathers are rarely considered important in adoption stories.  In the absence of factual information, adoptees develop fantasies, which are imaginative stories ...

It has been over twenty years since I set out to adopt a child.  One thing that hasn’t changed since then is the importance of creating your own adoption support network.  With the right support you will come through the adoption journey with your mental health intact and a vast ...

This was quite a week, especially for those of us on the East Coast.  The AFA hopes our end-of-week wrap up blog finds you and your families safe and well.  Whether you will be spending the weekend cleaning up from Sandy’s wrath or participating in the NYC Marathon, we wish you and ...

Welcome to the weekend!  With so many unbelievably interesting writers contributing to our knowledge base out there, The AFA has decided to devote our end-of week blog each week to some of the other blogs we adore.  The content featured in this weekly shout-out will be as interesting and ...

                                   by Iris Waichler, L.C.S.W.  One of the toughest things about coping with ...

by S. Fenella Das Gupta, Ph.D., Neuroscience I would like to introduce to you Vanessa Loring. Although her name may not sound familiar, you may in fact know her- She’s the character played by Jennifer Garner in the movie Juno. Juno is a film about a sixteen-year-old girl confronting an ...

     by Iris Waichler, L.C.S.W. I recently listened to an incredible episode of the radio show This American Life.  It was the story of 2 baby girls that were switched at birth.  One mother knew nothing about it and the other mother knew but said nothing for 43 ...

By Carolyn Berger, LCSW  When my biological son, Zach, was born I remember looking at him and thinking how he didn’t look anything like I’d imagined.  With his dark wavy hair and olive skin he looked very different from the pink baby with just a touch of blond hair that I ...

by Dawn Smith-Pliner Awestruck by the birth of her first grandbaby, one grandmother was shocked when she realized her tears were not those of joy, but of sadness.  Realizing her grandbaby looked nothing like her brought back all of the struggles of her own infertility. Like lightening ...