Adoption Training

This morning we drove up to Indy for our first adoption training meeting. The topic was how to parent/raise a transracial child. As we entered the door we were greated by the agency staff and were given a few worksheets to look over. These exercises were similar to the ones we completed during our first adoption but it never gets any easier. The paper had six scenarios asking how we would react to each of the following situations. I think it is great to be given these examples and to think of how we would respond. However, the more I am given one of these worksheets the more I wonder am I responding the correct way. I never feel like these questions I have are getting answered. What is the right response? Am I responding to this situation to the best of my ability? Am I hurting my child when I confront this person? Am I hurting the person to made the remark? Should I care if I hurt that person? After all, we are only trying to protect our children. That's the kind of class I want to attend.

We also watched several short clips of about transracial adoption and got to hear what these children are faced with as they grow up. It broke my heart hearing some of these stories, and knowing that Lydia and her brother or sister will be faced with them one day to. How do people say the things they say? These children have already been through so much already. They have been ripped from the only home they have ever known. They met new people that look, talk, and smell different from them. They have to adapt to new parents, a new home, food, and the language barrier. These children are so precious...just let them live a happy life without feeling anything less than "normal".

We also learned about how important it is to have transracial friends not only for our children but for us as well. I thought we had a good start since most of our friends have Asian children and then the playgroup we created for adopted children. I never new how important it was for us to have adult Asian friends. It would help us to communicate with someone who has been through some of these situations before and for our children to see an adult that has overcome some of the issues with adoption.

It was also mentioned that we should live in a transracial community...not were we are living now. We have been discussing moving to a more diverse city, I just don't know what city that would be. We looked into moving to Louisville or possibly near Indy but I don't think the schools are much more diverse than the ones in our area. We have thought about sending them to a private school, but how will we ever be able to afford that. We still have a couple of years before Lydia starts school. Hopefully everything will come together by then.