Interracial Adoption

According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, interracial adoption is one in which a child of a certain ethnic group is placed with adoptive parents of another ethnic group. This also applies to children who look racially different from their parents. Until recently, interracial, or transracial, adoption was something that caseworkers tried to avoid in domestic adoptions. With the changing demographics of available adoptable children more people are starting transracial families through adoption. This is particularly true of nontraditional adopters, who may choose to adopt a child internationally due to more lenient regulations on marital status and age.

People in the adoption community are torn over transracial adoption and whether it's in the best interest of the child. Those opposed to it feel that it hinders the child's cultural identity. Advocated of interracial adoption, however, say that the basis of a good adoption is dictated by love and resources, not skin color and ethnic background.

One of the biggest fears about transracial adoption is an inability for a parent to fully bond with the child due to the way he or she looks. This can affect the way you and the child are perceived, despite living in a post-racial society. Experts will tell parents that an adoptee in an interracial family should have someone of their racial or ethnic background to mentor them or that the family should consider adopting siblings or another child of that same ethnic or racial background.