Trans-racial adoptions, especially Caucasian families adopting African-American children, are becoming increasingly common in the United States. In an Oct. 21 article on Examiner.com, writer Maritza Brown advised adoptive parents on ways to incorporate aspects of the child's birth culture into their family:

Since all ethnic groups maintain their own unique culture and mannerisms, it is imperative that the adopting parents not only learn their adopted childs way of living, but they have to be willing to incorporate the childs culture into their lives as well as appreciate and respect it. ...

The adopting parents have to venture out of their own comfort zone to meet and befriend others who look like and can identify with the adopted child. ... The child should always have access to an environment where there are people he/she can relate to and form a strong sense of self.

Needless to say that there is an added responsibility when adopting outside of ones own race. That is why, it is imperative for the adopting parents to be prepared to embrace fully, the cultural lifestyle of the child they intend to add to their family in order to ensure the positive, well-adjusted growth of the child.

Labels: international, trans-racial, parenting

Posted By: Aspen/CRC