as an adoptive mom, it is my opinion that no child should ever have a memory of 'finding out they were adopted'. unless, of course, they are adopted as an older child. we've told our daughter her adoption story since the day we were given her.

yep. i think that's pretty much the response you're going to get from most people. it just needs to be a part of who the child is. early on in the child's development it won't mean much, no matter how easily the child throws around language about being adopted. his or her full understanding of it what it really means will deepen as the years go by and will always be expanding.

Being adopted should be as comfortable a part of a child's self image as being a boy (or girl).

Even though K is only three and doesn't understand it, we can say proudly, I'm Adopted! We read books and she's got her life book in her room - with photos of her and her birth mom and copies of both her birth certificates.. She'll always know.

I agree with everyone. My parents told me my adoption story so many times that I could repeat it by the time I was two. I am doing the same thing for my son, though he doesn't pay much attention to it yet. Most importantly, it won't be a surprise.

It can be as simple as telling them that "mommy and daddy are so happy that you came to live us". Now my son dosen't know what that I means, but last month sitting at the table he told me "chance {my son} so happy that mommy lives with chance". (age 2)