Comments on: Color blind parents http://ethiopia.limbo13.com/index.php/color_blind_parents/ My journey to Ethiopian culture Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:18:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Stacy http://ethiopia.limbo13.com/index.php/color_blind_parents/comment-page-1/#comment-1059 Stacy Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:51:07 +0000 http://ethiopia.limbo13.com/index.php/color_blind_parents/#comment-1059 Hi, Good points. I agree that parents should not be automatically disqualified from adopting a child on the basis of ethnicity. We also know that loving parents and family are far better than an institution or non-permanent placement. I do have to say however that ethic identity forms a vital part of 'self',"who we are", and an adoptees wellbeing and ability to navigate and function well through the teenage years and adulthood. The devastation and loss experienced by many adoptees, and multi-ethnic children in terms of their sense of self and connectedness to other members of their ethnic group(s) or in a country like America with it's recent history, the artificial but very real sociological group called race cannot be sidestepped. I do believe that if parents who are so called 'white' and are in fact color blind and are opposed to making the adjustments and proactive steps necessary to seek out,participate in, and develop friendships within their child's ethnic community, as if the family had indeed joined and become a part of that community (that is the glaring direction in the bi-directional nature of adoption),then such prospective parents should not be allowed to adopt such children. Finally I might add to a part of your post that while most adoptive parents don't care about the color of their children's skin the people just beyond their front door might and in ever wider circles probably will. (Neighbors, schools, CHURCH, even family members). Hi,
Good points. I agree that parents should not be automatically disqualified from adopting a child on the basis of ethnicity. We also know that loving parents and family are far better than an institution or non-permanent placement. I do have to say however that ethic identity forms a vital part of ’self’,”who we are”, and an adoptees wellbeing and ability to navigate and function well through the teenage years and adulthood. The devastation and loss experienced by many adoptees, and multi-ethnic children in terms of their sense of self and connectedness to other members of their ethnic group(s) or in a country like America with it’s recent history, the artificial but very real sociological group called race cannot be sidestepped. I do believe that if parents who are so called ‘white’ and are in fact color blind and are opposed to making the adjustments and proactive steps necessary to seek out,participate in, and develop friendships within their child’s ethnic community, as if the family had indeed joined and become a part of that community (that is the glaring direction in the bi-directional nature of adoption),then such prospective parents should not be allowed to adopt such children.

Finally I might add to a part of your post that while most adoptive parents don’t care about the color of their children’s skin the people just beyond their front door might and in ever wider circles probably will. (Neighbors, schools, CHURCH, even family members).

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