‘Jessica in South Carolina’ wrote a letter to ‘Dear Abby,’ explaining that during her freshman year in college, she placed her newborn son for adoption. She receives frequent updates and pictures from her son’s parents and says she has no regrets about her decision.

Jessica is now engaged to be married, and during premarital counseling, the question arose as to how they would tell their future children about Jessica’s son. She and her fiancé agreed that they would like their children to know about their half-brother from their earliest memory.

Jessica’s question: “We don’t know how to tell them in a way that will not upset them, confuse them or scare them. Any suggestions?

If you were Abby, how would you advise Jessica? Please post your comments below. I’ll share Abby’s response, and my own thoughts, in the next post.