Everyone has been in the uncomfortable position of not understanding someone’s circumstances and saying the exact wrong thing. We say what we think we’d want to hear… and it hurts more than it helps. Or we ask a question that is outside the boundaries without realizing it. Many friends and family members of adoptive parents are facing the same struggle before and after a family brings home a child. So here is a guide to what to say and what not to say to adoptive parents. I’ll also discuss what each person who is touched by adoption may be going through.