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Ok,...where to start.
1. One sore subject was my first name! My parents kept the name my birth family gave me. It was hard for people here to pronounce it and I had to daily correct people. It got to be such a pain that a couple months ago I legally changed my first name. Every time I had to meet people, it painfully reminded me that I was an adoptee, especially when they laughed because they heard my Scandinavian last name. I'm not saying you should switchyour beautiful Indian baby's name to a total American name, like Kimberly, but you should take into account how a name can affect an adoptee.
2. Growing up in an all white family, I always considered myself white. I was probably one of two Indian children in my schools from k-12 grade. It's funny, but I wouldn't think I had brown skin until someone pointed it out. So when I was in late high school and early college, away from my parents, I experienced some racism. It always confused me because I thought I was white which is funny.
3. Because my dad is white, since my senior year in high school, it feels weird to go out in public with him. That is a real sore subject for me. I can't give him a hug goodbye if I'm at his office for fear people will think he's cheating on his wife or something. If I go out to eat with just him, people look at us funny. I remember once he and I had a weekend out in Philadelphia. I wanted to take one of those carriage rides with the horses around downtown, but he didn't because he said people would think we're "together". That's an issue parents will have to deal with.
4. My parents got me involved with educational programs about India when I was young. That was helpful, to see there were other Indian adoptees out there. If you are going to adopt, I highly suggest you buy trinkets and clothing from India when you are there, and never get rid of them! Over time, your adoptee will grow to cherish these items as treasure from their past.
So yea, I wrote a lot, but that's just the tip of the ice berg. I'm so happy you're considering adopting from India!
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