Transracial adoption, or interracial adoption, refers to any situation in which a family adopts a child of a different race. Transracial adoption has become much more common in recent years, as many parents no longer feel the need to adopt children with the same physical characteristics as them.

While choosing to place your child with parents of a different race may bring its own set of difficulties, it can also be a rewarding and valuable way to expose your child to different cultures — while still celebrating their own.

Reasons Why You Might Want Your Baby to Grow Up in a Transracial Family

While skin color has no effect on an adoptive family’s ability to love and care for an adoptee, birth mothers have their own variety of reasons for choosing the parents they want to adopt their child. You may choose to place your child in a transracial family for factors that could include:

  • Embracing cultural diversity: Placing your child with parents outside of their own race gives them the opportunity to understand diversity on a deeper level than most children. They will have an opportunity to experience unconditional love and support in defiance of any stereotypes or prejudices and will benefit from the blend of cultural heritages in their new home.
  • Healthy identity: Growing up in a transracial family often causes children to become more racially aware at a younger age. While this awareness also brings great challenges, it can lead your child to learn more about their own identity sooner — leading them on the path to a greater self-confidence as they grow.
  • You grew up in a multiracial family: If you yourself are biracial and benefitted from growing up in an interracial home, you may want your baby to have a similar experience.
  • You simply happen to like that family’s profile: A woman might end up liking an adoptive family who doesn’t share her baby’s race but does share her values, interests, and more. While cultural background may be a factor in choosing a transracial adoption, it is entirely possible that an expectant mother makes her decision simply because she likes the adoptive parents — which is more important than their skin color.

How to Find Families of a Different Race Looking to Adopt

American Adoptions works with adoptive families of many different races, religions and backgrounds. When placing a baby for adoption with our agency, you have control over every step in the process — which includes choosing your child’s parents.

Hundreds of waiting families have profiles on our website. You can find adoptive parents by race, religion, and more by narrowing your search here.  When you browse the adoptive parent profiles on our site, you can also read more about each family’s lifestyle, their home and neighborhood, their desire to adopt, and much more.

In addition, American Adoptions creates unique adoption profile videos for each family to help tell their story and give prospective birth mothers a better picture of the life they would provide for your child. If you don’t find a profile that matches your needs, don’t hesitate to call American Adoptions and speak with an agent to assist you in finding the right family for you.

Considering Transracial Adoption

Finding the right family for your child isn’t easy, regardless of your racial preferences. Consider the following factors when trying to decide whether to place your baby with parents of the same or different race:

  • Transracial adoption is more common today than ever before: According to a recent survey from the Department of Health and Human Services, 40 percent of adoptions are transracial in nature.
  • Adoptive families are specifically approved to adopt children of different races during the home study process: If you place your child with parents of a different race, know that they are approved and well-suited for handling any cultural differences with your child.
  • It is always up to you to choose the perfect adoptive parents: You can ask adoptive parents questions about how they will raise a child of a different race. You have the right to change your mind and make all the decisions in your adoption plan.
  • Race is important to consider: It is inevitable that your child will have questions about their race and background when growing up in a transracial family, just as it is inevitable that their adoptive parents will receive judgment at some point for the makeup of their family. Racial differences will have an impact on your child’s life, though it doesn’t change the bond they will share with adoptive parents.

Whether you decide to place your baby with parents of the same or a different race, hundreds of adoptive families are waiting to bring your child into a loving home.

To learn more about placing your baby in a transracial adoption with American Adoptions, call 1-800-ADOPTION today or request free adoption information.