Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Adopt Transracially

  Adoptive families with children of color and adoption professionals recommend you ask yourself these 20 questions before adopting transracially.

• Am I open to new experiences: people, ideas, activities, travel? 
• Do I enjoy the diversity of other races and cultures?
• Do I value differences in others and their contributions to my life?
• Am I flexible and able to make changes in my ideas, friends, activities, lifestyle?
• Am I able to see things from another’s perspective even though it’s different from mine?
• Am I open to close relationships with people of other racial and cultural groups?
• Do I believe racism exists and understand its destructive power?
• Am I willing to examine my personal prejudices –either overt or subtle—and replace them with more positive attitudes?
• Do I believe in nurturing racial identity in children and will make changes in my life to foster this?
• Am I committed to getting more information to learn how to parent a child of another race?
• Do I accept that parenting across racial and cultural lines is a lifelong learning process requiring energy, creativity and changes?
• Do I accept that a child adopted by parents of another race or culture will have special needs in developing self-identity and esteem?
• Do I accept that parenting a child of another race or culture will require changes in my life to meet their special needs?
• Will I become an advocate for my child in the extended family, school and community to work to eliminate racism and to build racial and cultural tolerance?
• Will I learn social skills to deal with racism in all its forms and then teach my child these strategies?
• Am I willing to include other adults of my child’s racial and cultural heritage as role models to help build racial identity and esteem?
• Do I accept that basic self-esteem includes strong, positive racial and cultural identity and that a lack of such identity results in low self-esteem and performance?
• Am I willing to move to another community, change schools, find a new church, or join appropriate organizations if needed to find adult mentors and peers of my child’s race and culture?
• Am I ready to accept the reality that adopting a child of color will mean our family becomes a family of color?
• Am I ready to learn how to help my child deal with adoption issues pertinent to his or her racial, cultural and family background?

Self Esteem in Children of Color: Developmental, Adoption and Racial Issues,

By Jan McFarlane.  (www.myscc.org/T-Rarts/Articlues/selfesteem.htm)