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Waiting until your child can understand their story may not be the best strategy.

Talking to your child early and often can help them feel secure in who they are.

Sharing your child's story, as early as possible, can improve your bond with them.

Practicing the story when your child is young helps you get more comfortable talking about it.

After hearing from the experiences of adopted children and then later relearning very similar lessons from donor-conceived children, people are more commonly understanding that children do best when they learn their origin stories early. As a result, more people are talking to their children earlier.

I completely understand the hesitation. Being a parent of children who are not genetically connected to me, and having seen thousands of people using donor conception to build their families, I understand it is typically not a comfortable or familiar conversation to have.

Most of us did not grow up knowing people who used donor conception to build their families, so it is something that may feel different or “other.”

People who have had infertility typically feel the pain the most acutely, but even queer couples and single parents by choice may find it difficult to use the genetics of someone they........

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