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Home > Books & Resources > Multiracial Adoption
AFABC works to support families who are considering or have already completed an adoption of a child of different race and/or culture. Experienced staff, who themselves are part of a transracial family, are happy to offer their support. We also offer a One-to-One Parent Support program to assist families in networking with other adoptive families similar to their own. Our library and bookstore provide access to many books on the topics of Intercountry and Transracial Adoption, including AFABC's very own Raising Healthy Multiracial Adoptive Families.a question and answer guide for adoptive parents. For many years, AFABC has offered a full-day Intercountry Adoption Workshop. called "Between Two Worlds". Topics presented include medical concerns, attachment issues, race, culture, and heritage. This workshop also features a panel of adoptees and adoptive parents who have adopted Internationally. We welcome families at any stage of the adoption process. Our new workshop series, Building Skills for Transracial Parenting, is designed to assist families parenting children of different race and/or culture. The Saturday workshop series (of 2 workshops usually a month or so apart) offers an informal and "hands-on" approach to issues of sharing family stories, family and child identities, celebrating diversity, school issues, dealing with racism, networking, and being your child's best ally. The workshops have run very successfully in the lower mainland as well as the Okanagan, Prince George, and Vancouver Island, with excellent participation and response from families in both the pre- and post-adoption stages. Workshops have already been scheduled in the lower mainland for 2006/2007, with plans to take it to other BC communities as well. For more information, please contact our Intercountry Education and Support Coordinator, Yvonne Devitt at ydevitt@bcadoption.com or 604-320-7330. Yvonne welcomes any calls from families interested in Intercountry and Transracial Adoption. For links to support groups for multiracial adoptive families click here.
Raising Healthy Multiracial Adoptive Families AFABC has just released the 2006 edition of Raising Healthy Multiracial Adoptive Families, with a beautiful new look and updated editing and formatting. Raising Healthy Multiracial Adoptive Families takes an in-depth look at various issues from exploring racism and stereotypes to celebrating culture and diversity. This book is a must-read for all multiracial adoptive families and is available for $15. The following are excerpts from Raising Healthy Multiracial Adoptive Families. Click here to order your copy now!
Unique Identities Many say parenting is the most challenging job of their lives. For those of us who parent children of a different racial background, the job is even more complex. Like all parents, we need to appreciate our children’s beauty and embrace their potential. As parents in multiracial families, we need to explore how racism will affect our families, confront our fears about our own racism, and share our stories of challenge and success with one another. Above all, we need to celebrate the deep love we have for our children. To support our children, we must first understand what they face in a society biased about adoption and race. Many of the privileges and opportunities we take for granted won't be easily obtained by our children. They're more vulnerable and will need to learn survival skills to cope with the social tensions inherent in diverse communities. Our children will feel more comfortable and empowered in the different worlds in which they live when we acknowledge and affirm the many aspects of their identities. Ultimately, our families are uniquely positioned to understand and challenge racism while standing with pride and power in our own racial identities and self-awareness.
What should I answer when my son asks why he doesn’t look like me? When our children ask this question, it indicates that they have been thinking about the differences between us and them. A good response will affirm their questioning and curiosity. Ready-made responses give us time to think about what we can say that will encourage our children to say more. It's normal for children to ask these kinds of questions and for us to feel caught off guard, threatened, unprepared, guilty, and fearful of saying the wrong thing. The more information our children share, the easier it is to respond honestly. For younger children, the easier answer may be, “Because that’s the way you were created or born,” or, “Because you joined our family by adoption.” Another successful strategy is to use a concrete example such as making cookies. Ingredients are added, but when the cookies come out of the oven, each one is different from the next. |
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