Transracial Adoption And What To Know Before Placing Your Baby for Adoption

The primary concern is always making sure that your child is placed with the best family possible when considering adoption. However, in a country and time period where race is a controversial topic with many nuances, giving up a baby for adoption may involve more consideration than in the past. Birth mothers now, specifically racial or ethnic minorities, have an obligation to consider certain factors when placing their child up for adoption. Some questions that should be asked are: Do I want my child to be raised by people of their own race? How important is the preservation of culture to me? Would I like adoptive parents of a different race to celebrate my child’s culture? With the frenzy that the adoption process can often cause, it is not uncommon for questions like these to slip a birth mother’s mind, but the impact of having considered them and even potentially acted on them can’t be understated.  

At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we want every birth mother to feel confident in who they choose to place their child with, and we understand that there may be a variety of reasons that birth mothers decide certain adoptive parents aren’t a good fit for them. Our job is to help you consider all these factors so that you can make the best possible choice for you and your child.  

If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.

What is Transracial Adoption, And Why is it So Common? 

Transracial adoption, otherwise referred to as multiracial or interracial adoption, is an adoption where a birth mother places her child with adoptive parents of another race. While this can also apply to international adoptions, transracial adoptions do not have to occur internationally, despite a common assumption. Adopting children from different racial or ethnic groups has been common for some time but has only grown in popularity as time has gone on. One reason for this is that the United States is becoming more diverse, so adoptive families are becoming more diverse. There is also the historical reasoning that many of the families who are both willing and able to adopt children are caucasian. Therefore, many of the children being placed for Colorado adoption come from minority backgrounds. So naturally, many children are adopted by families who share a different racial or ethnic background than them. There is nothing wrong with this because what matters most is that good people become adoptive parents. However, culture can play a large role in a child’s life, so it can be dangerous for the child not to have themselves be seen by their parents. This does not have to be a deterrent. Instead, it should be an opportunity for birth mothers to really consider how much their culture means to them and how they can best pass it on to their child even after placement.  

The Realities of Being Raised Outside Your Race 

As we’ve already mentioned, there are many realities to being raised by a family of a different race or ethnic group, and this is an opportunity for birth mothers to really tackle the adoption process. Transracial adoptions can be a great way for birth mothers to give a child a life they would not have otherwise, especially if your child is coming from a country where there is an abundance of children waiting to be adopted. So to make sure that you can give your child the best chance at life while prioritizing their cultural identity, here are some common realities of looking out for:  

  • Ignoring the significance and difference in color: There is a common misconception that it’s better to “not see color,” and, while understandable, this is ultimately flawed. What this does is isolate the child and make them feel estranged from an aspect of their identity that is both prominent and relevant in their life as well as the lives of those from the same racial or ethnic group.  
  • Living in non-diverse areas: Another potential reality for children who parents adopt outside of their race is that they may live and attend a school in an area lacking diversity. This can be harmful because of how it separates kids from their culture by preventing them from seeing other kids who look like them and share a common background. Children can also be cruel and further isolate child from their peers at a young age. 
  • Not talking about differences: Similar to the first point listed above, not taking time to talk about racial or ethnic differences can have a wide range of effects. In some cases, a child may bottle their emotions up and not feel like their home is a safe space to discuss these topics if it’s never been modeled for them. In other cases, this may even be dangerous as a child may not fully realize their own differences and not fully understand how they should navigate the world. 

Finding Adoption Services Near Me 

There are many ways birth mothers can try and prevent some of these potential side effects of transracial adoptions, but all start with open conversations about your values and what you’d like for your child. Birth mothers may be able to discuss these values and outline some things they would like for their child, like different opportunities to embrace their culture and understand how that may affect their identity. Open adoptions can also be a great way to ensure you have an opportunity to instill these values within your child even after placement. 

Adoption Choices of Colorado wants to see both you and your child succeed and be able to navigate and challenge the adoption process confidently may throw at you.

If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.

Meet the author: David T. Garcia is currently a student at Syracuse University working towards his degree in English with a concentration in film. He is a resident of Northern New Jersey and spends much of his time in New York City, whether it be for business or pleasure. David is looking forward to graduation so he can begin his life and pursue his ambitions. He has dreams of moving out to New York City and working as a young professional in the content writing space while also working on his own screenplays. In his free time, David enjoys spending time with family as well as watching movies and reading books. He has a passion for travel and looks forward to new experiences.

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