First, you are now a conspicuous family; therefore, there will most likely be more curiosity about your family and how it was formed. This can require you to establish some proper boundaries as well as a good sense of humor in certain situations.

Next, because you are a mutli-ethnic family, you need to approach life as such–not just a white family adopting a Hispanic/black/Asian child. Your family is now changed forever. You need to acknowledge and celebrate other cultures–and not necessarily just your adopted child’s heritage.

At adoptionlearningpartners.org there is a great educational program called Conspicuous Families that addresses the issue of transracial/ethnic adoptions.

Check out this intriguing interview with J.B. Watkins, Senior Pastor of St. Roch Community Church, a multicultural congregation in New Orleans. J.B., who is bi-racial, offers some good suggestions about how white parents who are raising black children …

Do you think that hispanic children have the same difficulties as desribed here? Currently, my wife and I live in a predominantly hispanic community, but we will probably be moving north within the next year to Montana or Idaho where something like 98% of the community is white.

As the adoptive mom to 6 AA/NA children I have been blessed with the opportunity to walk through racism with my children. My being white doesn’t spare them the racism, rather it took me into it kicking and screaming at the injustice of the reality. Seven years into parenting AA kids, living in a integrated inner-city neighborhood, and dealing with the realities of hate and ignorance expressed – I have no regrets. Our life is richer from living hip to hip with our neighbors, for walking through suffering with them, facing their despair, and raging with them at the injustices that come when Sin is allowed to conceal from our eyes the beauty of every person God created.

Keep up the great interviews – I hope to meet JB and his beautiful family in person someday and to celebrate the way God builds families that please Him through earthly adoption.