Siblings and Adoption

Whether you create your family through adoption only or a combination of adoption and biology, adding a new family member is always a joyful event.

Here, we’ve collected the best articles from the archives of Adoptive Families on deciding to adopt a second (or third…) child, preparing a child to be a brother (or sister), fostering strong sibling relationships, parenting blended families, and more.

Is That Your Real Sister? Creating a blended family--combining races, cultures, biology, and adoption--generates a special kind of joy. by Barbara Meltz

Strong Sibling Relationships

• The Sibling Connection
  Sure, they bicker, they fight, they tease each other mercilessly. But they're also creating vital relationships that will last a lifetime.
• When Your Children's Abilities Differ
  Family activities and one-on-one time can help minimize sibling jealousy.
• Family Night
  Family night gives parents and children an opportunity to build memories, to share what is going on in their lives, and to solve problems.

Making the Decision

• New Kid on the Block
  Growing your child through adoption? Use these techniques to help your child embrace his new sibling.
• The Second Time Around
  Help answering the questions you didn't have to ask the first time you adopted.
• Deciding on a Second Child
  More might be merrier, but the family dynamic is sure to change.
• Adopting on Your Own the Second--or Third--time around
  Double the pleasure -- or double trouble?
• And Baby Makes Three
  A single mom's decision to adopt a second time.
• When Parents Adopt Out of Birth Order
  Conventional wisdom says not to adopt a child out of birth order. Yet there are many reasons why this choice may be right for you--and many ways to make it work.
• Readers Share: What was it like to adopt two children simultaneously?
• Readers Share: What was it like to adopt two children close in age?

Preparing Children for Siblings

• From Only to Oldest
  Preparing your child for a sibling.
• Preparing Your Child for a Sibling
  Adding a family member is always a joyful event. Here's how to make the transition.
• Readers Share: How did you introduce the idea of a second child to your first?

Blended Families

• Is That Your Real Sister?
  Creating a blended family-combining races, cultures, biology, and adoption-generates a special kind of joy.
• The Blend Trend
  In this special report, adoptive mother Pamela Kruger reports that more and more of us are adopting after having birth children.
• Is Sibling Rivalry Just Another Name for Love?
  In these three blended families, love and conflict are all part of the package.
• The Ties that Bind - Making Blended Families Work
  Blended families flourish when they recognize their differences and celebrate their choices, says this father of two.
• Through the Eyes of a Brother
  Jared was seven when his sister Janelle joined the family by adoption. Now 18, he gives us a rare look at what the experience meant to a young boy.
• Is That Your REAL Brother?
  My brother and I were both adopted. He was born in Michigan, and I was born in Korea. Together with my parents we made a family.
• The Same, But Different
  When an adopted child gets most of your attention, it doesn't mean you love your other child less.

Birth Siblings

• When Your Child Has Birth Siblings
  Parents who know that one child was placed for adoption while a sibling was not may wonder how to explain it in a way their child can understand.
• Unexpectedly in Sync
  My daughter formed a swift, intense bond with her four birth sisters. The surprising love I felt for them blindsided me, but now it makes perfect sense.
• From Russia, With Love-Again
  One thing led to another, and we became-unexpectedly-twice blessed.
• Brotherly (and Sisterly) Love
  When the courts place children in foster care, siblings have only each other to turn to and count on.
• The China Sisters
  Two families, linked by a shared adoption experience, discover that they are bound by DNA, as well.

Books for Parents

• Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Too,
  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
• Loving Each One Best: A Caring and Practical Approach to Raising Siblings,
  by Nancy Samalin, with Catherine Whitney

Books for Kids

• Sam's Sister,
  by Juliet C. Bond
• Waiting for May,
  by Janet Morgan Stoeke
• Emma's Yucky Brother,
  by Jean Little
• Julius, the Baby of the World,
  by Kevin Henkes
• Oh, Brother ...Oh, Sister! A Sister's Guide to Getting Along,
  by Brooks Whitney