Answering Your Questions about Transracial Adoption in New York
Transracial adoption is when a person adopts a child of a different race than him or her. It’s becoming increasingly more common as we erase the stigma of multiracial families. We should know by now that families come in all shapes and sizes, and nothing can change the fact that they are family.
Some people have concerns about transracial adoptions and whether it can cause issues for the adoptee. However, we’re here to tell you that transracial adoption does work in the hands of educated, loving adoptive families. We’ll help you determine who would be the best adoptive family for your child and ensure that you feel comfortable with whatever match is made. At Adoption Choices of New York, we know the backbone of any good family is love.
Who is a Good Candidate for Transracial Adoption in New York?
A good candidate for transracial adoption in New York would be adoptive parents who are prepared for everything that comes with having a child of a different race than you. For example, some people might treat you differently from single-racial families. You and your child might have totally different skin or hair colors. This could raise uncomfortable assumptions from other people and make your child uncomfortable if you don’t have a response prepared.
Being prepared for these kinds of interactions is key. For example, if another child at school asks the adoptee why his parents don’t look like him, it’s less confusing when he already understands he is adopted and can quickly explain to the other child that some people’s parents don’t look like them because they’re adopted.
Adoptive parents who are ready for transracial adoption — especially those adopting a child who is a minority — would take the time to see their child for everything he or she is, including their race. Additionally, the adoptive parents would learn about their child’s birth culture, history, and how to care for his or her specific needs.
For example, if you are a black birth mother and want to make sure your child will thrive and feel recognized with his or her adoptive family, it might be a good idea to make sure they are ready to adopt a child of a different race. It might be a good idea for the family to research black hairstyles or take your child to a black hairstylist when they get older, and you can insist that the family do these things. A good candidate for transracial adoption will be ready to put in extra effort for your child. You want your child to feel supported and understood by his or her adoptive family.
What are the Benefits of Transracial Adoption in New York?
By adopting outside of one’s own race, people can help erase the stigma about transracial families. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and a family of people from different races is no different than any other family. Your child’s adoptive family can be an awesome representation of a happy transracial family putting their best foot forward. Better yet, your child can grow up understanding how one another’s differences don’t make that much of a difference after all.
Additionally, it’s not exactly easy to adopt a baby. Openness to all kinds of children will speed up the adoption process so that adoptive parents can meet the adoptee and grow their family.
How do I Choose a Good Adoptive Family for My Child?
As a birth mother who is a minority, you may be considering multiple different families for your child, including parents of different races. You may wonder: Will transracial adoption work for my child? In this case, it could be helpful to ask the adoptive families direct questions about how they will prepare to raise your child in a way that supports their identity. Don’t be afraid to ask these important questions. It’s the best way to narrow down your choices and to pick great adoptive parents for your child.
Transracial Adoption in New York with Adoption Choices
At Adoption Choices of New York, we support all kinds of adoption. In a transracial adoption, we’ll make sure you feel like your child’s adoptive family will love your child as their own and see him or her as they are. Adoption Choices of New York is available to assist with your adoption plan. Call us, text us, email us; we are here for you!
Contact Us 24/7: 800-505-8592 (Phone) | 518-478-8420 | Click to Email
Meet the Author: Tara Giuffre has always loved reading and writing and grew up in the worlds of Narnia, Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Taking this passion for stories, she received a degree from Rutgers University in Journalism & Media. Besides writing, she likes long walks on the beach, spending time with her family (and her cat, Sansa), and baking the perfect loaf of bread.
She enjoys sharing vital information about adoption and birth mothers choosing adoption to families making important choices for their future family!
