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Every few days I am going to post a link to an online article. Some I will think are great, some will probably be controversial. There will be something to learn from all of them. There are tons of great articles out there and so I am sharing them and hope that they are great resources for families.
Today’s article is called “Raising a Child of Another Race – Deliberate Parenting Can Make a Difference,” by Jana Wolff. Jana Wolff is the author of “Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother,” which is available in paperback (I haven’t read that one yet). I found the article in the archives on Adoptive Families magazine website, which has tons of great info.
The article talks about how many parents adopting transracially, first care most about just getting a child, and bringing him or her home. Then comes worrying about baby/child care, especially for first time parents. This author states that when her son turned eight, she started concentrating on how to instill a positive racial identity in him.
With all of the pre-adoption classes and trainnigs that are out there and required in some states now, I think that many people are going into transracial adoptions better prepared these days than they were 5-10 years ago, but I am sure it is still an issue that “sneaks up” on some parents.
Here is a great list that the author gives as examples of ways to instill positive racial identity in children adopted by parents of another race.
o interacting with people of your child’s race
o living in multicultural neighborhoods
o finding same race mentors and role models for your child
o advocating for unbiased learning materials
o confronting racism openly
o cooking and eating ethnic dishes
o providing special maintenance to hair and skin
o celebrating all cultures
o taking part in homeland tours and culture camps
o creating a positive cultural environment at home
If you have ideas to add to this list, please send them to me!
The article concludes with a lot of great personal insights from the author and a list of references. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful.
I am still working on the list of replies and strategies for “those rude and pesky questions” so keep them coming. Let me know how you feel about this article too.
Erin, could you check that link? It just put me through to the general Microsoft.com website, and I’d love to read the article. Thanks!
Ok, try this! Sorry, I tried to format it and did something wrong.
This one should work, although you may have to cut and paste it.
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=155
Good article—I read jana wolfe’s book, I thinkits called “secret thoughts of an adoptive mother,” and just loved it.
I read “Secret Thoughts of An Adoptive Mother” – it was published in 1997, so it is a bit dated now. I also got the feeling throughout that she was encouraged to be a little more controversial (and less PC) to make the book more marketable. I found another article — an interview about her open adoption. It is more recent:
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=920