Back-to-School Ready: Helping Your Child Answer Tough Questions
Back-to-School Ready: Helping Your Child Answer Tough Questions
Published on:
Aug 31, 2026
Category
Back To School
As summer winds down, many parents find themselves in back-to-school preparation mode. Classroom supplies? Check. First day outfit picked out? Check. Backpack ready to go? Check, check, check! This list represents the enjoyable and exciting part of returning to school, but preparation also involves conversations about things that cannot be purchased from Amazon.
Adopted children and teens frequently face questions from others including classmates, friends, adults, and even people they hardly know.
“Why don’t you look like your parents?”
“Is that your real sibling?”
“Where is your real family?”
Whether your child is entering a new grade or an entirely different school, having tools to help with responding to these tough questions is essential.
W.I.S.E. Up!®: Tools for Responding with Confidence
W.I.S.E. Up!® is a signature program from the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) to help children and youth in adopted, foster, and kinship families respond to intrusive questions and insensitive remarks. Sometimes, these questions come from the people children care deeply for or respect, like close friends or adults in the community. While these questions may not be intended to hurt or harm, that is often the result.
Through engaging activities and supportive dialogue, the program creates a safe space where youth build self-awareness, resilience, and communication skills to navigate questions.
[ W ] alk away or ignore what is said or heard
[ I ] t’s private and I don’t have to answer it
[ S ] hare something about my adoption story
[ E ] ducate others about adoption in general
Providing children with the knowledge and language to respond helps them feel confident and self-assured that THEY get to decide if, how, and when to tell their story.
Many organizations across the country and even worldwide have been trained by the C.A.S.E. team to offer the W.I.S.E. Up!® workshop to children and families in their own communities. If you are interested in attending a workshop, check out the list of licensed W.I.S.E. Up!® sites and reach out to inquire about upcoming workshops available.
Bring W.I.S.E. Up!® Home with the PowerBook
If you are unable to attend a local workshop, the newly redesigned W.I.S.E. Up!® PowerBook is available for purchase and offers a great resource you can use right in your own home. You and your child may work through the book together, reading scenarios and determining the best way to respond. The PowerBook includes authentic activities and communication that encourage children to feel empowered and in their response to questions, regardless of who is asking them.
Their Story Belongs to Them
Whether you plan to attend a W.I.S.E. Up!® workshop with others or purchase the PowerBook and complete it as a family, this program can help you and your children when adoption-related questions or comments arise. W.I.S.E. Up!® creates story-sharing confidence in children and helps them to understand their story belongs to them, and they can share as much — or as little — as they choose.
More W.I.S.E. Up! Resources Are Coming Soon!
The W.I.S.E. Up!® journey is growing! Coming soon, families, professionals, and children will have even more tools to support confidence, connection, and self-advocacy, including the Casey the Owl Plush Toy, an updated W.I.S.E. Up! Pocket Guide, and the new W.I.S.E. Up! PowerBook for Foster Care.
Stay tuned for these new resources and discover more ways to help children and teens W.I.S.E. Up!®
