Most of you know that I am adopting trans-racially. Our daughter is from Africa and our son from Central America. As we wait to bring them home, one of the things I have focused on is educating myself about trans-racial adoption.
I would love to pretend that trans-racial adoption is no different than same-race adoption, but that simply isn’t the truth. Even though our family may be color-blind, the rest of the world isn’t. Part of preparing my children for life is giving them the tools they need to face challenges that they encounter both as members of a minority group and as a member of a multi-racial family. As adoptive parents, we have to educate ourselves so that we can in turn educate our children. Being a multi-racial family is challenging and it is vital that we, and our children, be prepared to face the world with pride and confidence.
There are a lot of great resources available to help as you learn about trans-racial adoption and parenting. Here are some that I have found helpful:
NYSCC
This website has a number of articles on trans-racial adoption. It includes writing from the perspective of parents, adult adoptees and also from the siblings of trans-racial adoptees. It is a great resource with a lot of interesting information.
Adoption Learning Partners
This website has internet-based courses that you can take on different areas of adoption. One that I recommend is “Conspicuous Families”. It is a free course on what it’s like to be in a multi-racial family and how to handle the attitudes and comments that you may encounter from others.
PACT
This is another great site with articles on everything related to trans-racial adoption. There are sections on issues related to parenting children of different races and how to help them identify with their culture. The site also has more general articles on multi-cultural families and how to help prepare your children for the world.