Interacial Adoptions?

Question

My question is this, when it comes to adoptions this is usually done by race in order to give a sense or "normality" to the child. So I would just like to understand the following, White parents adopting asian, black, etc kids. I do not believe that race determines how you are as a parent however you never ever see it the other way round i.e. a black family adopting a white kid, an asian family adoption a white kid. Thoughts please.

Answer 1

It has to do with supply and demand.

There are more white parents trying to adopt then there are black parents.

There are more black orphans then there are white orphans, for whatever reason.  

This isn't a judgment call..... just statistics.

My thoughts......yes, in an ideal world it would be better for the child to grow up in a home that is the same nationality that he/she is......but this is not a perfect world, and these children need homes.

My son who is adopted, is half black and half white.  He grew up in our all white home.  He is a well adjusted adult, but yes, there were some difficult times.  I like to think that it just made him stronger.  

He was exposed to the black culture while growing up. We were lucky enough to live in an integrated neighborhood.

Answer 2

WOW......I had never thought about it but you have a point!!!

I am an adoptive mom. My husband and I are both caucasian. We have adopted 3 kids. One is half black half hispanic, one is half east indian, and one is caucasian. We also have 4 bio children.......

Our oldest adopted child is 5 and hasn't asked any questions or had any concerns as of yet. (He does know that he is adopted)

Answer 3

I understand your question. I'm not sure there's anything really going on about race though. I think it may really be a supply and demand thing. The majority of people out there who want to adopt (and can afford to) are white. The reason many Americans are choosing to adopt from overseas is that there are babies available there. It is becoming more and more common to see Caucasian parents with children, for instance, adopted form China. These parents wanted a baby and they found it easier to get one from China than from the US. There just aren't "enough" healthy, white babies in this country to meet the "need." I just realized that it isn't that simple though and that there really are peole out there who would be appauled and up in arms if there were white children being raised in black families. And yet, we aren't respecting that feeling in others.

Answer 4

I'm hispanic and my son is caucasion. Works great for us...

Considering most mothers chose their childs parents (not to sound raceist), I would think a white mother would be more inclined to place her baby with a white family. as for other races I think that "white" people are associated with sucess (yeah I know it's just stereotyping, but it happens) so a ethnic woman might want to place with a white family first.

Answer 5

Hm, now that you mention it... that's kind of true!  Although, I did see on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, an african-american couple adopted white children.  But I also wonder why more people don't adopt interacially...

Answer 6

Racism reveals itself in the most pecular situations.

We need to ask ourselves, WHY white babies are in such high demand, why other races are considered "hard to place" so they become deemed "special needs" just because of race.

Race doesn't determine how you are as a parent, but it can limit your ability to understand what your child, of a different race, is going through in life regarding racial issues. Or so I've read from the experiences of many transracial adoptees, including myself.

Answer 7

I think folks should pay more attention to what is best for a child rather than what is wanted by adopters

We should be listening to the experiences of interracial adoptees and taking how they felt growing up in an interracial home into consideration when placing children.

There is one book I can think of called 'ousiders within' written by interracial adoptees.  They also broadcast on youtube and there are many many bloggers out there too.

Adopters feelings on the matter are irrelevent.  It is the Adoptees experiences that count overall.

Answer 8

I have actually known several african american and latino families who have adopted chinese children, but you are right that the numbers are drastically different than the amount of caucasians who adopt minority children. I think perhaps it is because caucasians give less thought to how race affects us than minorities do, and may give less thought to how raising a child of a different race may present difficulties to the child and family than someone who deals with race issues day in and day out. They may also see that minority children are in greater need of adoptive families than caucasian children (I don't mean that the children need homes more, I mean that there are more homes needed for african american and latino children) so they may be drawn more to adopting them than caucasian children who seem to have less difficulty finding a family.

Answer 9

Availability. It is normal for a parent new to the idea of adoption to choose a child that is the same ethnic makeup as them. It is a very long wait for a white baby. Whereas other ethnicities are easier to place. I have seen families wher no person looks alike. African Americans generally adopt African American or Bi-Racial Children  because, frankly there are many people not willing to adopt those children. It is sad it is like that but they are (ugly situation or not) the most readily available child. Although, families accept children of all different ethnicities every day. I truely believe it is in the best interest of the child to be placed in a loving home reguardless of ethnicity.

Answer 10

I am not trying to offend anyone here, so please don't take it that way, but from my experience and what I can see around the globe it is just a lot less common for a caucasion baby to be put up for adoption than an african or asian baby.  That is just because most of the countries in the world that have less than optimal conditions are usually made up of african or asian cultures.

Again - no offense please, just my speculation.

Answer 11

There is usually a waiting list for white families to adopt white children.  However there are more black children waiting for homes than there are black families seeking to adopt.  Preference is usually given to potential adoptive parents of the same race as the child.  With a waiting list of white families this explains why we don't often see black adoptive parents with white children.

Due to the fact that there are so many black children waiting for families states and private adoption agencies sometimes place these children with white families.