After writing about some of the truths about race and adoption that I have discovered since adopting transracially and, and sharing some of my personal thoughts and beliefs on race and adoption, I wanted to follow it up with some of my "strategies".

I think that in a nutshell, transracial adoptive parents have to walk the line between realism and optimism. Now let me explain.

I think that we have to be realistic. We have to be aware of the ugliness of racism and it's prevalence... more

In my last two posts I shared some of the truths about race and adoption that I have discovered as a transracial adoptive parent.

Today I want to share some more things that I feel to be true in regards to transracial adoption, however many of these are now my own personal thoughts, beliefs, feelings and ways of looking at things.

- Most transracial adoptive parents are aware of racial issues and are no longer turning a blind eye to them. While I could never say "all" transracial adoptive parents are educated and prepared, I do believe that transracial adoptive parents have... more

In my last post I started sharing some of the "truths" I have come to learn regarding race and transracial adoption. Here is the rest of my list. Please feel free to add to it by leaving a comment.

- Our kids are going to grow up. This may seem like a "duh" thing to say, but it's true. It is easy to parent a little black baby. He's cute, and people in the world see him with you and for the most part, people smile (and say dumb things), and think that he is cute. As parents, we are able to protect young children from much of the ugliness that is out there in the world.

However that... more

Issues involving race are never cut and dry, and are often emotional, complex and at times, overwhelming.

For transracial adoptive parents, or parents considering transracial adoption, there is much to think about and much to learn. Here are a few simple (or not so simple) truths regarding race and transracial adoption that I have come to learn, and that all transracial adoptive parents or those considering transracial adoption, should consider.

- Racism is real. It is alive and well in the United States today, and in many other countries, too. It happens every day in big obvious ways, but also in small subtle ways, like the cop who pulls over the black man in the fancy car... more

Mary over at the Ethiopia adoption blog started this meme, and I thought it would be fun to join in.

Four things I thought about adoption when I was a child:

- I first heard about the idea of adoption on Little House on the Prairie (which was my absolute favorite show!) Albert, Alicia, John and the kid who was played by Jason Bateman but I can't remember his name on the show, were all adopted.

- I thought that only "cool" and famous people were adopted in real life, and that only rich people were able to adopt children.

- I wanted to adopt a baby girl from China.

- Thinking of... more

One of the things that constantly nags at the back of my brain, is the worry of what happens to the children who never get adopted, and eventually age out of the foster care system, or get kicked out of their orphanage.

It is no secret that in many countries, once children reach the age of 14 or so and are considered "un-adoptable" and leave the orphanages, they are at a huge risk for sexual exploitation, child labor and other dangers. Young girls are at a high risk of becoming pregnant and creating more children that will not have parents who can care for them.

Kids leaving orphanages with little or no education, no family and no support have very few options open to them.

In... more

I have one more transracial adoption question from a reader to answer. If you have a question you would like answered or a topic related to transracial adoption that you would like to see answered, please leave a comment.

Today's question is:

What is the best way to integrate with a racial/cultural group that you have not had much interaction with in the past? (i.e. white parents adopting an African son)

Many different adoption experts and professionals reiterate that it is important for transracially adopted children to have people in their lives of their... more

In my last post I asked you, my readers, what questions you would like to see written about here on the transracial adoption blog. I have already gotten a good little list, but would love to see it added to, so if you have a transracial adoption question, please go leave me a comment.

The first question I am going to answer is one that is a common concern of transracial adoptive parents.

My son will be from Rwanda...so would you call him Rwandan-American, African-American, or just American?

Racial labels are a tough issue for several reasons.... more

This week I have been writing about adoption medicine and common health issues in internationally adopted children. Today I am going to conclude this mini-series with some thoughts on adoption and health.

While many parents worry about the health of the child they may adopt, especially when it is an international adoption, it is important to know that most children come home to their new parents with only minor ailments, such as the things I have... more

In my last few posts I have been writing about recommended health screenings for newly internationally adopted children, and about the "yucky side" of adopting a new child internationally. I have given some general information on some of the most common creepy crawlies that new adoptive parents often have to deal with. As I have written, lice, scabies and ringworm are all fairly commonly found in newly arrived international... more