She is the mom of two biological children and two adopted children of another race. She describes how kids at her children's school don't understand why their mom has a different skin color, and how she and her children deal with these very candid questions from confused kids on the playground.
Sadly, kids without exposure to this simply have no idea how to respond and tend to think it's "weird," which is why these are such important conversations to have with kids. Kristen recommends that parents talk to their kids about adoption and what it means so that they're not so surprised when they meet someone who is adopted (and avoid offending people when they don't understand why a family is comprised of people who don't look like each other).
I like this because it's something that everyone can do. Even if you don't have kids of your own, you are bound to have conversations with other kids (in Sunday School or in your extended family, perhaps) where the subject comes up. Explain that God has adopted all of us into his family—the church—and that adoption is a wonderful thing, not something to be ashamed of or laughed about. Adopted kids can be deeply hurt by the words of kids who do not yet understand the concept because it's never been explained to them.
Conversely, if you are an adoptive parent in a bi-racial family, how do you cope with people who don't seem to understand that you're really family? How do you teach your kids to respond to these questions? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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