Transracial adoption

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

There are many opinions regarding adopting transracially/transculturally. This topic comes up quite frequently among adoption seekers as they are trying to make some significant decisions in not only their life but the life of their future child. I remember as my husband and I were praying about adopting a child and being open to any race. Although, we felt confident God had a plan for our family that was far better than ours, it was a very scary journey. Probably the scariest part to overcome was feeling ill-equipped to parent a child of a race different from our own. I had to find peace with the fact that there will be some things in this life I cannot fully understand nor be able to impart upon my daughters in regards to their culture and ethnicity. Yes, we belong together as a family in every way possible and though we may not share a racial heritage, we do share the deep rooted love of family. Being different racially doesn’t in any way invalidate us as a family. But we must acknowledge there will come a time as our children begin to appreciate their identity separate from ours that they may also feel the need to belong to their birth culture. We plan to do our very best in helping them to achieve this while recognizing we have limitations. Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall describe this wonderfully in their book Inside Transracial Adoption, “So when you can’t be the direct provider of culture, be a bridge to the culture your child needs to be part of. Please don’t feel discouraged by his participation in a culture that does not include you. The connecting links you can forge will not only support him, but will expand your family life in ways that will continue to unfold throughout your lives. Nothing could be more positive.”

Here are a few books I found helpful in regards to this topic. Some are specifically geared to prepare you for certain issues you may face as a transracial family and others offer suggestions for helping your children develop racial/cultural pride.

· Inside Transracial Adoption by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall

· In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Stories by Rita Simon & Rhonda Roorda

· I’m Chocolate, You’re Vanilla by Marguerite A. Wright

· Adopted For Life by Russel Moore