For Adopted Siblings (Adoptees with Adopted Siblings or Biological Siblings They Were Separated From)

Growing Up with Adoption

1. How did adoption shape your relationship with your sibling(s)? Did you feel closer, or were there challenges in bonding?

2. If you and your sibling were adopted together, how did that impact your sense of security or identity growing up?

3. If you were separated from biological siblings through adoption, how has that affected you? Have you searched for or reunited with them?

4. Do you remember conversations about adoption growing up? How did those conversations (or lack of them) shape your understanding of your family?

Understanding Family & Identity

5. How has adoption influenced your personal definition of family?

6. Did you ever feel different from your sibling(s) because of your adoption experiences?

7. Have you ever struggled with identity in comparison to your sibling(s)?

8. If your sibling is from a different racial or cultural background, how has that shaped your family experience?

Challenges & Growth

9. What has been the most challenging part of being an adopted sibling?

10. What has been the most rewarding or special part of having an adoptive sibling bond?

11. Have you ever felt like your experiences or emotions about adoption were overlooked in comparison to your sibling’s?

12. How do you respond to people who make assumptions about adoption and sibling relationships?

Reflections & Advice

13. What is a moment with your sibling(s) that had the biggest impact on you?

14. If you could go back and tell your younger self something about growing up in an adoptive sibling relationship, what would it be?

15. What do you wish adoptive parents knew about raising siblings in adoption?

16. What advice would you give to other adoptees who have siblings in different adoption situations (separated, reunited, or adopted together)?

For Biological Siblings of Adopted Children

Before & After Adoption

1. How did you feel when you first learned that your family was adopting?

2. What were your expectations versus the reality of having an adopted sibling?

3. Did you feel involved in the adoption process, or was it something that happened around you?

4. How did the arrival of your adopted sibling(s) change your family dynamics?

The Relationship Between Siblings

5. What has been the most significant change in your relationship with your sibling(s) since adoption?

6. Were there ever moments of jealousy, confusion, or adjustment challenges? How did you work through them?

7. How do you and your sibling(s) talk about adoption now? Is it an open conversation in your family?

8. Have you noticed ways in which your adopted sibling may experience things differently than you?

Challenges & Growth

9. Did you ever feel pressure to be a “perfect” sibling or to act a certain way because of your adopted sibling’s experience?

10. Were there times when you felt your needs were put aside due to the focus on adoption?

11. What has been the hardest part of being the biological sibling of an adopted child?

12. What has been the most meaningful or rewarding part of growing up with an adopted sibling?

Reflections & Advice

13. What do you wish people understood about being a biological sibling in an adoption story?

14. What’s one thing your sibling has taught you that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise?

15. If you could give advice to another biological sibling whose family is adopting, what would you say?

16. What’s your favorite memory or moment with your adopted sibling that defines your bond?

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