Growing Up in a Multi-hue Family
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“When I look at my child, I don’t see red, yellow, black or white. I just see my child.”

While this statement may be true for the adoptive or foster parent, society looks at that same child and assigns characteristics based on the child’s color. The video #$%@ People Say To Transracial Families highlights some of the comments a child and her parents may hear.
Watch "#$%@ People Say To Transracial Families"
 
 

As part of developing self-identity, every child peers around the family dinner table, neighborhood and church, comparing himself to mom, dad, grandparents, siblings and family friends. When a child looks around and everyone else has an entirely different look, he often experiences a sense of isolation and confusion about his own identity. Whether we like it or not, color and race do influence a child’s identity and how he experiences the world. 

Being part of a multi-racial family offers great opportunity to understand and embrace diverse races and cultures. It also offers unique challenges in helping a child to develop healthy self-identity and to navigate society’s racial assumptions. Click here to watch how one multi-racial family describes the opportunities and challenges. 
 
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Ways to Support Transracial Families

How can Support Team members help multi-racial foster and adoptive families take advantage of these opportunities and address the challenges?

Champion Belonging:

Provide opportunities for the child to explore and develop a health identity and sense of belonging within her family and community.

  1. Acknowledge family likeness. "Girl, you’ve sure got your grandpa’s quirky sense of humor."
  2. Applaud family differences. "Your family is lucky to include such a great astronomer. You take camping under the stars to a whole new level."
  3. Provide the family with toys, books, art and music that reflect the child’s race and culture. 4kidslikeme.com and popsugar.com offer some ideas to get you started.
  4. Initiate opportunities for the child to safely discuss and question racial and cultural differences.​

Champion Connections:

 Provide opportunities for the child to develop a healthy racial identity.

  1. Introduce the child to your friends and family members who share her race. (With parental permission of course!)
  2. Take the family to restaurants, shops, museums and parks that are frequented by other people of the child’s race.
  3. Help the child create a “My Culture Scrapbook” featuring the famous people, places and events of her birth culture or cultures.

Champion Preparation:

Provide opportunities for the child to learn how to navigate the world in her own skin.

  1. Examine your own beliefs about culture and race. 
  2. Initiate discussions about prejudice, racism, discrimination and stereotypes. Current events, media, movies, books and your own experience can be great conversation starters.
  3. If you share the child’s race, role play responses the child may need to how other people perceive her. If you don’t share the child’s race, help parents find someone who can fill that role.
Read "Transracial Parenting in Foster Care and Adoption" to learn more!
 
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View Past Support Team Newsletters
 
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April 2014: Becoming Trauma-Informed
March: Supporting a Family Through Camp
 
 

Support Team: Fundamentals
 
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Aurora, CO 80014
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