Can you remember the day you were born? Of course not! None of us can. When we’re born, we’re too young to understand what’s going on around us. Most of us can’t remember much more than vague images of our first several years on Earth.
In your earliest years, you rely almost completely upon your family. All of us need people to take care of us when we’re young. As we grow, we learn that those people who care for us are our family.
Sometimes, those family members we know and love aren’t actually the people who gave birth to us. Many children eventually learn that they were adopted. Do you know anyone who was adopted?
Adoption is the process through which a person — the adoptive parent — assumes permanent legal responsibility for a child. Adoption requires the biological parents (the ones responsible for the birth of the child) to give up their legal right to custody of their child.
There are many reasons why biological parents might give up custody of their children. Sometimes they are unable to provide for their child, so adoption is a better option for the child. Likewise, adoptive parents may not be able to have a child of their own. Adoption allows them to start a family and share their love with a child who needs it.
Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parent is the legal parent of the child. There’s no legal difference between an adopted child and one who is born into a biological family.
Although adopted children don’t share the same genes as their adoptive parents (they share genes with their biological parents), they share all the same love and special moments like any other family. Children may not realize they’re adopted until their adoptive parents decide to tell them. This is a personal decision that varies by family and the ability of the children to understand.
Specific adoption laws can vary from state to state. Some states allow adoptive children to learn the identity of their biological parents easily. Other states protect this information and it can be very difficult to learn this information.
Some adopted children never learn the identity of their biological parents. Others learn their identities and may even establish a relationship with their biological parents at some point in time. Each child is different, but it’s not unusual for adopted children one day to become curious about their biological roots. Thanks to the Internet and modern technology, it’s much easier for adopted children to search for information about their biological relatives.
Of course, it’s not just babies that are adopted. Kids of all ages can be adopted at any time. They can be adopted by a new family or a relative or even a step- or foster-parent. Many adoptive families choose to adopt children from other countries, too.
(16 votes, avg. 4.31 out of 5) 
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I know how everyone feels! Being chosen is good! Whether to be adopted, or for a special deed! This is my favorite wonder so far! P.S. I wonder if tomorrow’s wonder will be about birds? Or maybe how it looks from a jet or plane?
What a great point, Wonder Friend Deja! We’re so happy you enjoyed today’s Wonder and you’ve been thinking of how it feels to be chosen! You did a great job of thinking outside the box today! NICE WORK!
Thanks for sharing your WONDERful guesses for tomorrow… we look forward to discovering tomorrow’s Wonder with you! Have a WONDERful Wednesday!
My cousin is adopted. They had to wait a long time to take him home! I wonder how it feels to be adopted. (Because I am not adopted)
Thanks for sharing your comment today, Wonder Friend Nadia! We bet your family was very excited to meet your cousin and welcome him to the family! HOORAY! We Wonder if you can share this Wonder with your cousin and his family– we bet they would have lots of great stories to share! Thanks for visiting us today!
One thing I think is awful to be chosen by: A WINTER STORM!! I hope everyone gets enough snow to play in today, but not enough to cause problems!
Another great point, Deja! We hope you are staying nice and warm, and if the snow hits, we hope you have hot chocolate to warm your tummy! Or perhaps you and your friends can build a snowman?
It’s really cool that a dog is feeding baby tigers. It was really funny though when the baby tiger was screaming. But I wonder what the Mother is thinking about when the dog is feeding her cubs. I think the next wonder should be how tigers are raised.
We are amazed with today’s Wonder video, too, Santino! It’s awesome to see animals helping one another, especially when the baby tiger was fussing! It sounds like the mother tiger was unable to care for her babies, so the dog stepped in to help! How cool! We’ve got another tiger Wonder for you to enjoy: Wonder #807– How Big Do Cats Get? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-big-do-cats-get/
That was awesome! I have never seen anything like it. I was impressed when the dog just went and cleaned the cat.
The Baby Tigers are so cute. I think that adopting those baby tigers is thoughtful. The dog was like a mommy tiger NOT a dog.
Good afternoon, Wonder Friends Julian and Nyla! We are glad yo both enjoyed WONDERing about adoption with us today! It sounds like you learned a lot from today’s Wonder video, too! Isn’t it amazing how the dog stepped in to care for the young tiger cubs? What a cool example of how different animals can be adopted to form a family, just like people!
That’s cool how she is not the mother but she
takes care of them.
It is very weird how a dog is nursing some cats (tigers). It is kind of sad how the cats mom can’t nurse them.
Hey there, Wonder Friends Juaquin and Korayma! Sometimes when others are unavailable or unable to fully care for their young, others step in. Today’s Wonder was a very cool example of how the dog became the mother figure for all the cubs! Even if she is not the birth mother, she still cares for them like a mother would! We bet those cubs will grow up to be strong and healthy tigers!
I think it is really neat that the dog took over the cubs like they were her own cubs. I also think it is so cute to see a dog nurse a white tiger. I never saw a dog nurse a white tiger, it was so cute!
The mom (dog) has been a good mother. She was a rescued cat. When it was lunchtime the little puppies were around her.
That was it amazing a dog mother can be a tiger mother to care the baby tiger and feed them too. I think the next wonderopolis is plant or planes.
We’re so glad we could enjoy today’s Wonder with you today, Katelyn and Jason! How WONDERful! We loved seeing how the mother dog cared for the cubs as if they were her own! We look forward to WONDERing with both of you tomorrow– thank you for sharing your comments today!
That seems strange that the real mother of the white tiger dose not want to take care of her babies. I never knew that a dog would take better care of the baby white tigers than the real mother.
This must be hard for kids and adults. It was a good wonder.
Hey there, Wonder Friends Kayla and Payson! It sounds like you have both been WONDERing about adoption thanks to our Wonder video today! Thanks for sharing your comments about what you saw and what you learned about the mother dog and the tiger cubs! We think it’s cool that animals can help one another and act like a parent, even if they are very different species!
Hi wonderopolis,
I loved the wonder because I love dogs and all animals. :]
Dear Wonderopolis
Today’s wonder was awesome I have a golden retriever named Abby I also have 2 cats, a gecko, and a puppy named Charlie I love animals I have never seen anybody that’s adopted. Bye.
HOORAY, we’ve got some animal lovers here today! Thanks for sharing your awesome comments today, Ashton and Jakob! It sounds like you both enjoyed today’s Wonder about how adoption– the Wonder video showed that the dog could act as a mother to the young cubs! HOW COOL!
We have heard the word adopted, but we didn’t know that tigers could be adopted by dogs!!!
We have been learning how to ask questions with question words. We have a few questions for you…
How else do dogs take care of other animals? Why does the dog adopt the cats? Where do tigers live? How do baby tigers grow? When were the tigers born? What do tigers do? Who made the tigers?
We’re so happy you learned even more about adoption today, Mrs. Utter’s Kindergarten Class! What an amazing example of adoption!
You did a SUPER job of using those new vocabulary words today– way to go! We love all your Wonders you came up with, too! We bet you’ll enjoy this tiger-iffic Wonder in the meantime:
Wonder #807– How Big Do Cats Get? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-big-do-cats-get/
Dear wonderopolis,
I think the wonder of the day was awesome because I never thought a dog could nurse a baby tiger to health. I think tomorrow’s wonder will be about hot air balloons or pilots.
HI
:( 
I think today’s video was cool, how the dog was the tiger’s mom.
Way to go, Alexa and Mason, we’re so glad you’re WONDERing with us today! HOORAY! It sounds like you both learned something new about how animals can care for one another, even if they are not related! We look forward to WONDERing with you again… thanks for sharing your soaring Wonder guess, Alexa!
Dear Wonderopolis,
I loved today’s wonder of the day!
I think it’s really cool for a dog to take care of a baby White Tiger. I have a friend that was adopted. I think tomorrow’s wonder of the day will be about the sky, planes, helicopters, clouds, or birds.
your wonder
friend
Karsen
Dear wonderopolis,
I think today’s wonder was amazing because I love animals and I think tommorow’s wonder will be about planes or diffrent animals that fly.
Hey there, Wonder Friends Karsen and Maddy! We love your connections to today’s Wonder about adoption! We all learned something new about how animals can care for others, even if they are not their birth children! The same is true for humans, just like you mentioned, Karsen! Thanks for sharing your WONDERful guesses, Wonder Friends!
Check out Wonder #306– Why is the Sky Blue? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-the-sky-blue/
Hi wonderopolis,
I never knew that a dog could be a tiger’s mom. I am glad I am not adopded.
Noah
HI!
I liked today’s wonder dogs and white tigers are cool. Dogs are fun to play with.
I might not be responding for a while because I won’t be able to maybe.
Hey there, Wonder Friends Noah and Brady! We loved WONDERing about adoption with you today, especially when we watched such a cool Wonder video together! We hope you’re having a great Wonder Wednesday, Brady and Noah! We look forward to WONDERing with you soon, Brady, when you’re back!
This is kind of sad for kids who don’t have know their real parents. But I feel strong for them.
Hey there, Wonder Friends Carla and Kenneth V! It sounds like you’ve both been WONDERing about today’s adoption topic. We are so glad you’re here today!
Carla, we’re glad you noticed how the dog was acting as a mother to the tiger cubs! She helped to feed them when their mother was unable to care for them!
Kenneth, we are glad you shared how you feel! We know lots of Wonder Friends who are adopted– they have awesome families! Some of them have met their birth parents, while others have not. We are glad that we could Wonder about adoption with you– we learned about families of all kinds!
Is it bad to be adopted? The kids at schol say that.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Jusin! We are glad you’ve been thinking about adoption with us today– it’s a great thing! Families come in all shapes and sizes, and they come together for many reasons! The most important thing to remember is that a family is made up of people who love and care for one another! Sometimes members of the family are related by blood, and other times they are related because they became a family through different means! Families are great, whether you are adopted or not! We love them all!
Dear Wonderopolis,
Our class thought today’s video was amazing! It made us wish that we could adopt a baby tiger!
We predict that tomorrow’s wonder will be about planes, birds, bats, clouds, or jets! Can’t wait to find out!
Good afternoon, Ms. Sizemore’s Class! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about today’s Wonder! We bet a baby tiger would be a very INTERESTING class pet!
It sounds like you’re looking upward and onward for tomorrow’s Wonder! We look forward to hanging out tomorrow! Thanks for visiting us today!
Aaaaaw That Was Cute!!!!!!
I Want A Golden Retriever Like Bad!!!
Maybe Next Wonder Is Jet packs Or Jet Planes Or Jets
Or……..Or……Jet Engine!!!
I Wonder What The Next Wonder Will Be I Wonder…Thanks For This Wonderfully Wonderful Wondering Web Sight!!!
WOWZA, we really appreciate all your awesome alliteration, Max! What a WONDERful comment this Wednesday! We hope you’re join us for our journey as we discover tomorrow’s terrific Wonder! Thanks for sharing your super comment and telling us about your woof-tastic love for golden retrievers!
I like adopted people! Wonderopolis is COOL B-)
Thanks Wonderopolis!! I hope tomorrow’s wonder is as good as today’s!
Good afternoon to our Wonder Friends, Sontuk97 and Deja! HOORAY for WONDERing with you today! We love your enthusiasm for today’s adoption Wonder! It sounds like you have both learned a lot!
Perhaps you can make a connection between today’s Wonder and someone you know… a friend who was adopted by a family, an animal who needed a home? We’ll continue to Wonder and we hope to see you tomorrow! 
How did people think of adopting?
Great question, Wonder Friend Ariel! Adoption has been around for a very long time. You can adopt lots of things, such as an idea, a phrase, a way of life… but the adoption of children and animals is newer than the adoption of an idea! We Wonder if you can do some research on the history of adoption– we would love to hear about what you find!
What it means to be adopted. If you are adopted your parents probably died when you were little . When you are adopted it does not mean your parents didn’t want you it’s they died and they had no one to take care of them.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Daniel! Thanks for sharing your comment as we Wonder about adoption today! We think it’s great that you’ve come up with some reasons for adoption. Sometimes children lose their parents at a young age and they are adopted by another family. Other times, a parent may not be able to care for their children in the way they hope, so those children may be adopted, too! You make a great point– adoption is a great thing! Families come together in all sorts of ways! Sometimes family members are related, and sometimes they aren’t!
I can make a connection with Sontuk97 because I love adopted people too! To Ariel: I think that question is amazing! I never wondered about that! I know I’ve adopted some of my motions such as how I clap from my parents! It’s a pretty random thing, but a great thing to think about!
Hey there, Deja, we’re so happy you’re connecting the dots between other Wonder Friends today! We love when that happens! Thanks for telling us how Sontuk97 and Ariel inspired you to continue your WONDERing! We are sending you all virtual high fives!
You too and thanks Wonderopolis!! You’re the best!
We hope you have a SUPER day, Deja! Thanks for being such a fantastic Wonder Friend!
These wonders are so cool how do you think of them?
We’re so happy you enjoy WONDERing with us, Ariel! It takes a lot of research and writing to develop a Wonder, but we love to do it! We also LOVE when our Wonder Friends nominate their very own Wonders: http://wonderopolis.org/nominate-wonder/! We hope to hear from your soon!
The adoptions remind me of the time when I got my dogs Snowy and Ramona. It all started about 2 years ago when it was take your son to work day, I saw a puppy store and found Snowy. A few months later my mom and dad got Ramona.
You are one lucky duck, Wonder Friend Carlos! What a great connection to today’s Wonder– it sounds like Snowy and Ramona are a great addition to your family! We love hearing about how your family adopted your dogs and how WONDERful they are! Thank you for sharing your comment with us, Carlos!
Hey Wonderopolis,
I shared my cousin this website and he said it’s epic!!!!!! Now he wants to join in on all the WONDERING!!!!!! Thanks for the suggestion! (He also feels a lot better about being adopted).
That’s great news, Nadia! We are thrilled to hear that you and your cousin are WONDERing together now! What a special treat! We know that everyone is special in their very own way, and we think it’s great that you and your cousin have been talking about his adoption! What a great way to spend time together! WAY TO GO!
I liked today’s wonder! I have never known anyone who is adopted, and I am not adopted because I have seen my birth pictures and I was at my three younger siblings’ births. The only thing my family had adopted is pet dogs, and the only one we have now is the beagle, Bella, and when we got her, she was a sick little puppy and my momma knew that my daddy wanted a dog, and her freind told her about a sick little beagle puppy named Betsy that a lady at a high school was taking care of, and my momma went and got Betsy, and when my daddy saw her, they both thought that her name should be Bella, and it stuck, and we have had her ever since. A few months ago, our family went to Amarillo, Texas, and we had some neighbors take care of her, and when we got back, we got out of the car quietly and daddy went up to the front door to unlock it and Bella was howling and being sad, and since then, every time we leave just to do something quick, like go to the library or something, she starts trembling and acting sad, and we went to the Denver art museum the other day for a Georgia O’Keefe exhibit and we left the t.v. on because she watches t.v. and so she would have some noise. Thank you for today’s wonder! It was great!
WOOHOO, Berkleigh, we always look forward to reading your WONDERful comments! It sounds like you have been thinking about adoption and how it’s impacted your family! We think it’s really awesome that you and your family adopted Bella (formerly Betsy)! It sounds like she really misses hanging out with you when you leave for long weekends! We bet your neighbors took great care of her, but there’s nothing like a family! Thanks for telling us all about your adventures to Texas and Denver! We would love to travel with you and your family– you have very exciting field trips! Thanks for telling us all about your connection to our Wonder!
I loved the wonder of the day today I have friends that were adopted and I have 2 or 4 cousins that were adopted I feel bad for them though but I told them that if they ever want help finding their parents I will help them. Oh yeah I’m in Mrs. Swick’s class. Bye.
WOW, you have lots of connections to our Wonder, Inshirah! Thanks for sharing your comment and telling us all about your friends and cousins! We always love WONDERing with you and your classmates from Mrs. Swick’s Class! Perhaps you and your cousins can talk about what it means to be a family, no matter how you’re related!
I didn’t know you could adopt animals. I just thought a zoo takes care of the animals that are endangered.
We’re glad you learned something new with us today, Amaria! While some animals are kept in the zoo, other animals can be adopted by families! It depends on the animal, because it might be difficult to keep an elephant or a hippo in your home! Thanks for sharing your comment today!
I didn’t know that a dog could have baby tigers.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Tshawn! While a dog cannot give birth to baby tigers, the dog in the Wonder video acted like a mother to those tiger cubs! She helped care for them, she fed them, and cleaned them while they were growing up and learning for themselves! It’s amazing how animals, and people, can act like parents to others even if they’re not related!
I AM ADOPTED AND PROUD OF IT!
Thank you so much for sharing your comment with us, Cool Kid! We are thrilled that you have been WONDERing with us and that you have an awesome connection! We are so happy for you– your family must be absolutely WONDERful!
My little triplet sisters are adopted. They look nothing like we do, but we treat them like they are family. Which they are. I could never wonder what it’s like to be adopted.
Thanks for telling us all about your awesome family, Elizabeth! It’s so cool that you have siblings who are triplets– we bet you’re a great sister! We really enjoy learning about families of all shapes and sizes, just like yours! It’s great to visit with you, Wonder Friend– we look forward to seeing you at Wonderopolis soon!
I like it it was cool.
Thanks so much for visiting us today, Perris! We’re glad we can Wonder together about different ways families come together!
I am adopted. It wasn’t fun watching all the other kids get adopted. But 5 years later I got adopted, I was invisable in the kid records. Now I am in a wonderful family with my older sister Breanna.
We think you’re a very brave Wonder Friend, Mallory! Thank you for telling us about your special adoption story, and we are so glad that you are part of a super WONDERful family! HOORAY for you! We bet Breanna loves having you as her very own sister!