The Benefits of Transracial Adoption for Birth Mothers in Kansas

Deciding that you want to put your child for adoption is an emotional and psychologically taxing decision, to say the least. You want the best for your child and realize that the adoptive family you select may have many facets to them, with race being one. You may be contemplating how your child might fit into a specific home and family of a different race, and how this will affect their life.

There are many things to keep in mind when it comes to adoption, especially the benefits of transracial adoption.

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture within Transracial Adoption

Before understanding the benefits of transracial adoption, it’s important to understand the difference between race, ethnicity and culture, and how all of these play a role in transracial adoption. To understand this concept, we must first define it. Put simply, race describes physical traits, (i.e. black, white, Asian, Hispanic), while ethnicity and culture is something you learn.

Since ethnicity has to do with a learned culture through nurture and environment, your child will be growing up in a home with a culture that is different from their birth. A child’s identity is through both race, as well as ethnicity and culture.

Benefits of Transracial Adoption 

There seem to be concerns in society of why there are negatives to transracial adoptions. Many may argue that adoptees will suffer confusion with their identity. This may be a lingering thought you have, too, if you are considering putting your child up for adoption and you are considering transracial adoption. However, there are many positives for your child growing up in a transracial household.

Adoption Choices of Kansas is here to offer some points and ideas that will help you understand the benefits of transracial adoption and put your mind at ease.

1. Your Child will Learn Another Culture with Transracial Adoption

Transracial adoption can impact your child in a positive way. When you choose an adoptive family who is a different race, ethnicity or culture than you and your child, you are giving him or her the opportunity to become more culturally aware. Not only will they learn about their own birth culture, but they will also get to know the culture of their adoptive family. This will help shape them as they grow, and encourage them to see differences and individuality as things to celebrate.

2. Your Child can Become More Respectful and Open Minded through Transracial Adoption

Along those same lines, if your child is raised within a transracial adoptive family, he or she has an opportunity to become more respectful of other races, ethnicities and cultures around them. To embrace diversity and to be more open minded when it comes to those who are different from him or her. This, in turn, will also help them develop a stronger sense of self.

3. Your Child may Interact with Different Social Groups with More Ease in Transracial Adoption

A concern that some birth mothers may have is the ability for their child to be well-rounded. There is the worry that he or she won’t adapt well or thrive within a different culture. However, studies have shown just the opposite.

When within a diverse community, adoptees  don’t feel a need to stick with any specific group and can gain the skills to navigate their lives more fluidly. Their sense of self is shaped through how they ‘’look” biologically, as well as the values they are instilled with through a specific ethnic lens.

Transracial Adoption has Many Benefits for Birth Mothers

Within transracial adoption, there are endless combinations and possibilities for positive experiences — for you, your child and the adoptive parents. Those mentioned above are just a few.

While this resource is non-exhaustive, we hope that it gives you a starting point when learning about the benefits of transracial adoption. If you want to learn more about transracial adoption, and how it could impact you and your child, don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to give you all the information you need to make a confident decision in your adoption plan.

Adoption Choices of Kansas serves birth parents statewide and beyond, please call us or text us to learn more!
Call Us 877-903-4488 or Text Us 316-209-2071

Meet the Author: Tatiana is a graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California where she pursued a degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing. She first discovered her passion for journalism in high school when she joined Yearbook, allowing her to interview others and learn their intricacies, ultimately giving them a voice. Her empathetic nature motivates her to write about others and be interested in details of each individual and their story.

Tatiana’s passion for writing deepened when she took a college journalism class, which allowed her to write various types of content consisting of Feature Story, Review, and Profile pieces. She went on to hone her writing and marketing skills through her position as a Marketing Associate at the Lesher Arts Center in Walnut Creek, CA, where she managed social media content and advertising assets. In her free time, Tatiana enjoys writing poetry and her thoughts about philosophy. She explores her creative and musical side through instruments, singing,