My close friend, who has a daughter adopted from Ethiopia, and I have started a support group.
An adoptive transracial parenting support group. And we're calling this group ROOTS...meaning belonging; the core; and to grow which describes us as transracial adoptive parents and our kids as transracial adoptees.
My friend and I spent many coffee evenings chatting about such a group but it has finally come together. We met for the first time a couple of weeks ago and plan to meet monthly while working through the book Inside Transracial Adoption.
I'm so excited about this new group in my life. Excited to grow and learn together with other parents who get it. Currently we're a group of 5 women and we chatted together about our stories and the book for 3 hours! We closed the Starbucks that night.
The significant pieces from that evening for me were that racial issues for our kids supersede regular adoption issues. Race infiltrates all aspects of adoption and is the lens with which our children will view themselves and the world. And how the world will view them. This only helps to strengthen my resolve to look for a racially diverse church and in the future a school, as well as intentionally develop relationships with other people of color.
The other is that I believe that first and foremost T is a child of God and will be raised with this knowledge. My hope is that this truth will help shape his understanding of who he is and how he fits into society and the world. As an adoptive parent I don't lean only on this truth but it is a part of the whole story.
The ROOTS group meets again in two weeks and I'm already anticipating the discussion and developing deep and lasting relationships with these moms.
1 comment:
Sounds like you have found an amazing group of women to share your journey with - women who "get it". Makes perfect sense to me and I think the name is very fitting. All the best as you share and grow with each other and your children.
Post a Comment