But let’s not kid ourselves. The international adoption experience and kids’ comfort levels with themselves is hugely interconnected with race and ethnicity. As internationally adopted people explore their identities, “Race/ethnicity is an increasingly significant aspect,” according to the Evan B. Donaldson Institute. Given that truth, and the need for racial/ethnic acceptance as part of oneself, it comes as no surprise … Read More
The Benefits: Being There is Validating—Making Me Real
We’ve discussed the complexities related to: • Preparation • Traveling into unknowns • And those tied to the “right age to travel.” While there are no doubt countless other complexities, I thought I’d balance the table a bit and talk about the positives of a homeland journey. For starters, being there is validating. That is, for many adoptees, their very … Read More
The struggle for identity – An adoptee’s search
A post in the ‘Adopted from India’ facebook group inspired this post. As a disclaimer, every person’s experience about adoption is totally different; please take this note as simply my thoughts on the subject. I will say though, if my clarity about adoption and identity can help just one person, I feel that my duty to give back to the … Read More
Complexities: No one knows where the road leads
Until we are “living the moment,” it is impossible to know what will unfold. There are times when a file is opened, for example, and information is shared that is inconsistent with what the family was told at the time of adoption. Sometimes there is a change in the child’s birth date, or perhaps a different spelling of a name, … Read More