Transracial Adoptive Families?

kateiskate

Mine really didn't do much.

They pretended that I was just like them, never admitted the difference, would say things like "Oriental" when describing other Asians to me, and never attempted to get to know my culture or encourage me to.

Those are pretty much all the no-nos as far as IA goes. Well there are more, but my parents weren't as educated as a lot of the adoptive parents of today are. The agencies told them that it shouldn't make a difference that I was a different race as long as they loved me enough and that race doesn't matter, be colorblind.

Well there is nothing wrong with seeing colors and seeing people for the unique individuals that they are. To be colorblind when you are an IA parent is to truly disservice your child.

Randy B

We spent 3 years living in India at the time we did our first adoption from there. The living there came first and the adoption was something we thought about while there but they went hand in hand in the end.

With our second adoption we have taken numerous courses and classes offered in First Nations culture and issues. We have also established and maintained contact with her Band and have been working with them to ensure that she will grow up with access to her heritage and history.

SofiaS

To prepare me (the older sister) my parents explained that my sister was coming from a diffrent country, but that she was still my sister and we all love her very much.
Sometimes people will make rude comments like "oh your sister has Chinese eyes" (she's Korean, and such a comment is insensitive) or "that's REALLY your sister." Most of the time though, people are cool with it. Sometimes people on the street will do a double take when they see my family walking by. As long as you let your children know that you are a family no matter what, then you're fine. FOr the most part people are very supportive. People will ask questions... but usually they are very polite and the questions come from a place of genuine curiousity. I wouldn't change my family for anything!!!!

cmc

My husband and I are different races (indian and white) and my daughter is bi-racial black/white. We didn't do anything special in that our friends and community are very multiracial. However as she gets older we'll continuously expose her to people of different races, including of her own background. Also I don't let people get away with making remarks about any race in our presence. Even before I had a daughter I would let people know that wasn't okay with me (if it was blatant), or if it seemed to be more ignorance, I would try to correct the statement.

People assume she is our bio child, because she more or less looks like she could be. This of course is just pure chance. I think to some extent that has made our personal experience very easy.

yeahright

Read. Met other couples who've done the same. Made sure that there was access to other kids who were like them. Mentors. Dolls. Books.

Personal experience....people were really wierd about us adopting outside of our race...until the adoption then took place. We get wierd looks from outsiders but everyone is very comfortable with it now.

blairnative

our experience is positive. we are white, our kids korean.

we now view our family as a american-english-korean family.

we jokingly refer to ourselves as the united nations.

we made a point of researching and respecting the culture our kids were born into, and we have korean art in the house. we celebrate lunar new year, our kids are heavily into tae kwon do.

we explained to our kids they have MULTIPLE cultures to celebrate.

its been positive, i wouldnt trade my family for the world.

the kids have on occasion ran into racism. i did too when i was young. i know EXACTLY what they encounter, and that helps.

Caitlin Come On And Dance<3

My friends parents told me this:

They just accepted their kid as their own child they prepared by thinking all of the pros and cons of it. :)

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