Critical Analysis #12 | Isabelle Wong

 There are many benefits to adoption, but I think it comes down to ethics and how the families and individuals respond and adapt to the situation. Some of the benefits/reasons behind adoption include the desire to have a family, wanting to provide a loving and caring home for children who don’t have that, and expanding on an existing family. 

Some potential challenges that adoptees may face include:

• Not feeling like they belong because they “don’t look like” their adoptive parents/family members

• Longing to know their birth parents/birth family

• Medical health problems because there is no history to track 

• Bullying from unkind peers/other individuals about being adopted 

• Unclear birth history, early childhood history, and/or medical history, all of which could affect child and educational development 

Transracial adoptees are defined by the lecture notes as “adopted individuals who are of a different race than their adoptive parent(s)” (HDFS 280 L20). An example of this would be a Chinese boy being adopted by Latino parents in the United States. Being a transracial adoptee may add unique challenges to the adoptee experience in several different ways. For example, it may be “more obvious” to outsiders that the individual is adopted, which could be either a positive or negative effect, depending on the outsider. It may also open up opportunities for the adoptive parents to engage in a different culture and be more culturally competent if they educate themselves about their child’s culture. I knew a Chinese girl who was adopted by a white (German) father and Latina mother, and they lived in Texas. Both of her parents were American citizens. She said it was great having experience in the different cultures, and she was grateful to have them as a family, but there was still sometimes a longing to reconnect with her birth mother and wonder where or why she was placed for adoption. 

Transracial adoptees may experience a sense of “otherness” because they don’t feel like they fit into their families because they don’t look alike. Or, they don’t feel like they belong with their ethnic/racial communities because they were not raised in them. This could lead them to not feel like they belong in a community, and they could feel very alone. This may lead them to seek a sense of belonging in groups with other transracial adoptees, which could be helpful for their social and “belonging” community (HDFS 280 L20). 

I think in families with transracial adoptees, racial differences should be acknowledged, but I do not think it should be “pushed upon” the adoptees as much, and they should try to address the needs of the individual as best as possible. However, there are a multitude of other reasons why it would be a good/not good idea as well. For example, my (white) family friend had two biological children and adopted a girl from India. Because my family friend did not want to make her adopted daughter feel left out because of her skin color, she spent lots of time emphasizing how beautiful her daughter’s skin was. However, as a result, her biological daughter grew resentful of her own skin color and asked her mom why she never got compliments about it. So, in this case, the racial difference, while positive in intention, did not end up coming off that way. The colorblind approach might impact a transracial adoptee’s understanding of race and identity because the adoptee may feel like they are still unconsciously excluded from the family, even though they aren’t. Maybe some kids are not interested in learning about their heritage culture, and families/other individuals should respect that as well. 

I think that families and community members should find ways to best support families with transracial adoptees and to feel open and welcome about their culture. We can talk more about it in public spaces, and embrace transracial adoptees who are interested in connecting more about their heritage to do so as well.