Interacial Adoption?

Question

My husband and I are both hispanic and thinking about adopting a child. We were open for any child. However, my mother-in-law explained to me that it is better for a child to be adopted by someone their own race so they can better identify with their heritage. What do you all think?

Answer 1

in a way shes rite but u can adopt the child any child and the child will be the same just keep teaching the child about his/her culture or background  u can also teach the child about ur culture or background my brother has a adopted child hes mixed black and white his wife is mixed to. they adopted an persian child the child knows much about were he came from cause they taught him and he knows a lot about were my brother and his wife came from

Answer 2

Numerous studies have shown that children in inter-racial adoptions are just as well adjusted as kids in normal adoptions.

As long as parents address and incorporate the child's culture rather than ignoring or denying it, all is well.

Don't let your mother's worries get to you.

Answer 3

well- what kind of baby would you want? asian, black, white, indian?? either baby woudl be good for you. It just depends how you decide to raise them.  The kid will learn his/her culture through school and hopefully family vacations etc.  Do what you want and adopt any baby of any race. If it were up to me i'd adopt an asian baby or a white baby they looks so adorable.  I'm hispanic and have a hispanic 4 yr old and an pregnant by a black man now so my baby will be black and i have no problem with it.  I'm having a gurl and i'm gonna make sure she learns spanish and her dad's culture  (afro-american) so she can get used to different foods etc.  Do as you please either way ur the one that's gonna have to live with the child ur whole life.

Answer 4

it is easier and less expensive to get a non-white child. it is also cheaper to get a child from another country. it used to be hard to adopt a child from different race than your own. a child can learn about it's heritage through books. best of luck to you!!!

Answer 5

I think it's all a personal prefrence.  If a beautiful little child needs a mom and dad and you are willing to give it a home, then I say it dosen't really matter what the race is.  I would suggest that if you do adopt outside your race, try and teach the child along the way about his/her own heritage.

Answer 6

I think White parents has been doing pretty well with asian babies so far, hispanic parents does well with blacks, black parents doing good with hispanic children. I really haven't seen any other mix so far.

My friend who's white and adopted asian children, they really followed these children's heritage. They enrolled them into Chinese school, celebrated Chinese new years and sign them up in martial art classes. They're doing wonderous job with them. Not to mention, these people speaks fluent Chinese

Answer 7

I think anyone can choose to learn about and honor their child's heritage if they wish, it is not necessary to share it. Many families that have adopted Internationally incorporate their child's birth culture into their lives and it enriches everyone!

Best of luck to you!

Answer 8

All children need a loving home - regardless of their race or the race of their family.  At least that is how I feel.  We have friends who have adopted from various countries - Guatemala, China, Russia, Korea.....and all of the children are thriving here in the US and are no worse off because they are not living in their "culture".  I believe that a child's culture is formed by the way he/she lives.  No one should be denied a loving home because they are a different race of a parent.  

Good luck.

Answer 9

For me my child (not of my race) is the best thing that ever happened to me. I think people who want to adopt a child of the same race want to blend in to what is considered "normal". However, with so many interracial adoptions and blended families these days what is "normal" is not necessarily the same as it was even 20 years ago.

The mentality of your mother-in-law is the same that many people from generations that have gone before us. It was from a time when adoptions were hidden and some thing to be ashamed of. People didn't talk about it like they do now.

I think the most important thing an adoptive parent can do is love and support their children at the same time teaching them to respect their birth culture. Be open to experiencing it. Take up some of the holidays and traditions as if they were your own. Celebrate the holidays of the childs birth culture. When the child is older, let them chose which ones they want to start including as well.

From a cultural and heritage perspective, it is easier to adopt a child of the same culture but it is also fun to add a new culture to your family and create new traditions with your children of different cultures.

Answer 10

We adopted our daughter transculturally and transracially.  My daughter is Asian and I am white.  Our daughter is only 18 months now, so we haven't really come up on the identity/cultural issues yet, but this is something I think about all the time.  I think there are heavy considerations when doing this and that it puts a large obligation on the adoptive parent to be very educated and aware about cultural and identity issues.  Some even suggest that parents are obligated to move to an area where the child will be around many people who are of their own ethnicity.  We do live in a diverse neighborhood.  There is lots of adoption literature out there about adopting transracially, so I encourage you to be educated.  That being said, the MOST important thing is for a child to be in a safe, secure, loving environment with parents who are sensitive to his or her needs when all the other stuff does come up.  Good Luck!

Answer 11

Love sees no color!!! Only racist people do. A baby is not going to worry about color until it is brought to their attention. You go ahead and adopt whatever baby you like. All of those babys were left by their parents and they just want someone to love them. Do you think they are worried about your color? they just want a family and to be loved.

Answer 12

As  long as ye are loving parents it doesnt really matter

Answer 13

You do not have to be the same race to help your child appreciate, understand and know their ethnic heritage.  A foster mother I used to work with, a black woman with 30 years of experience and highly appreciative of the needs of children, said that most of the Caucasian families she worked with who adopted African American children did a better job of helping their children to appreciate and learn about their ethnicity than the black parents she knew.  Her opinion!  It's all about perspective, priorities, energy and attitude.  These families had African Art on their walls, African dresses in their closets, books about great black leaders, children's books with black children as the main characters, black magazines, and most importantly -- taught their children to love and appreciate all races and cultures.

It is about attitude.  It's not everything, it's not perfect, but it is a lot!