“Are those your REAL parents?”

Language matters!  I’m not trying to be the PC police or anything, but this phrase needs to go away. Not just in the world of adoption, but families are formed in SO MANY different ways.  This phrase is more for the person asking than for the person being asked. If you’re curious, own your curiosity with a statement like, “I’m curious about your family.” That will let the person you’re talking with choose if they...

Why Does a Bear Have Elephant Parents?

This is a common question after reading Riley the Brave to a group of children, and it opens the door to wonderful conversations about diversity and the many ways to make a family.  You might talk about skin tone or hair color.  You can incorporate grandparents, foster parents, and families with step parents. So many possibilities, BUT...I remember how awkward I felt trying to figure out how to talk about this stuff when I first...