Search Results for: adoption racial issues african american

Help Further the Cause of Adoption Research?

White parents who have adopted Asian children are being sought for a research study about adoptive families conducted by the University of Maryland at College Park. The survey is being conducted by a professor and a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University. The study, approved by the University’s Institutional Research Board (IBR) aims to help researchers learn more about international adoptive families and about the challenges faced by White parents in raising a child of a different race/culture. This is a one-time survey, completed on-line, which takes about 20-40 minutes to complete. I completed my survey … Continue reading →

Book Review: Weaving a Family Untangling Race and Adoption

Barbara Katz Rothman is a sociologist. Much of her work has focused on the meaning of motherhood—ranging from studies of the modern midwifery movement, to the consumer pressure to buy for one’s offspring, to the Human Genome Project and the impact of genetics on identity and culture. These two interests– what it means to be a mother and what genes have to do with identity–merged when Rothman and her husband adopted an African-American infant. Rothman’s book Weaving a Family: Untangling Race and Adoption shares her insights, both professional and personal, on transracial adoption. Rothman’s title is inspired by the experience … Continue reading →

Something You Should Know

We have three children that came to our family through adoption. All three children are siblings, they have the same biological mother but they all have different biological fathers. The biological mother is Caucasian and one of our sons has a father that is African American. With us being Caucasian we were not really sure about different skin and hair care issues that a child of an African American race we would encounter. The first difference that we came to was when the Pediatrician told us he was “ashy”. What the heck is “ashy”? I had no clue, but I … Continue reading →

When a Child Makes a Racist Taunt To Another Child

No matter how much we read about adoption, there is a tremendous tendency to believe that your own kids are not getting questions or comments about race or adoption. The last few blogs have talked about helping to avoid stereotypes in children by having diverse books, dolls, and posters in their environment, and by specific actions and discussions to help kids develop empathy and learn about the contributions people of various races have made and are making to our society. Now I will mention some suggestions for a time when a child actually says or hears a racist comment or … Continue reading →

Celebrating Your Child’s Heritage

If you adopt internationally, you will probably want to help your children feel pride in their national heritage. We do need to emphasize our children’s similarities to us and our unity as a family, and our American citizenship. But most adult adoptees report that they felt different from others anyway, especially if they lived in a non-diverse community, and wished they had been taught to take pride in their country of origin and its people. Larger adoption agencies often sponsor cultural events, picnics for families with children from a certain culture, and a family weekend “culture day” or “culture camp” … Continue reading →

Ethnic Culture Class, Part 1

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All of my five adopted sons were classified as African American by the state when we took them into our home as foster children. One has no black ancestry. The other four do. They are beautiful children. My wife and I are white. The community where we live is predominantly white. The training that the boys receive in regard to their ethnic culture will come from Nancy and me. The children know that they are adopted and realize that our family is biracial. They know that they started out in the “tummy” of a lady that was unable to take … Continue reading →