Historically, the question of the adoption of children from different races was controversial. For example, the National Association of Black Social Workers released a document against transracial adoption in 1972 (Nelson & Colaner, 2018). Although modern society has become more tolerant of white-black adoptions, cultural and racial identity issues for children still exist (Nelson & Colaner, 2018). Adopting a child from a different race is a new experience for parents who need to learn to discuss race and culture with their children to ensure their emotional comfort. Specifically, it is recommended for these parents to normalize and praise their children’s distinct identities (Nelson & Colaner, 2018). Furthermore, several studies discovered that nonadopted children established a strong connection with their adopted siblings of a different race (Nelson & Colaner, 2018). Therefore, I consider that transracial adoption is an appropriate practice that reduces the number of orphans and decreases the gap between races still present in our society.
Adoption may be viewed as abnormal when parents have the same gender. However, I think that these couples should also have an opportunity to experience the joy of parenthood if they can provide adequate housing, care, and education to their children. Furthermore, parents, in these cases, should establish good communication with their children to prevent misunderstandings associated with their identity (Nelson & Colaner, 2018). I also believe that older couples and single parents should be allowed to adopt children if they can form bonding with the adopted children. Still, these adoptions should be allowed only if potential parents’ financial resources are sufficient to support their children. Furthermore, ensuring that adopters’ physical and mental well-being is critical to avoid traumatizing adopted children.
Reference
Nelson, L. R., & Colaner, C. W. (2018). Becoming a transracial family: Communicatively negotiating divergent identities in families formed through transracial adoption. Journal of Family Communication, 18(1), 51-67. Web.