[watermelon0719]

Hi everyone! I lurk on these forums quite regularly and have been learning a lot so far. We are hoping to start the paperchase in April 2008, so in these next 9 months I want to get as educated as possible about an AAI adoption.
What has me confused is a slightly different issue than most of you might face. My husband is Caucasian, but I am not - I'm East Indian. We've talked to SW in the past who have told us this is a positive thing - our child will not be the only minority in our family or neighborhood, and that he/she will be able to connect with someone else who knows about discrimination. However, I wonder if my being of a different culture will confuse our child. I am proud of my culture, and we regularly cook Indian food, rent Indian movies, etc. We plan on doing the same thing for our AA child but do you think that might be too much? Will it be confusing to our child to be brought up in three different cultures - Indian, African and a general CC/American culture? Any thoughts you have on this would be appreciated!

[bromanchik]

Originally Posted by watermelon0719

Will it be confusing to our child to be brought up in three different cultures - Indian, African and a general CC/American culture? Any thoughts you have on this would be appreciated!

Not if all three are honored. I am German, Polish, Slovic and Roma. My husband is German. We try to incorperate all traditions. If you are honoring the traditions and culture of all in the home then I do not see it as a problem. Additionally, you are in the position to empathize with your child on race issues. Most likely you have had experiences where people judged you by the way you look. As we live in a racist society this will surely be an issue.

[joskids]

I believe it's a blessing for a child to be raised multiculturally. My mother is Italian but did not teach the language to us. I very much regret that we missed out on that part of our heritage. Our adopted children are AA and biracial, I'm CC and DH is AA. Both of our families are very multi-cultural and so is our neighborhood and schools. I feel my children are so blessed to know children and families of so many different cultures. Best wishes on your future adoption.

[kathrynb]

We're a white couple with a black son - 8 years and embrace several cultures and religious traditions, yet my son has a strong sense of who he is and his heritage (with lots of support and encouraging this to happen.) I have a guru and so we're sometimes doing things with the Eastern Indian community and it's been great for all of us.

[BeverlyZ]

I grew up surrounded by nuclear families made up of only caucasians. How boring! When I went to college, I did not know how to talk to people who were different from me. I realized that I was judging others with prejudice (single mothers, homosexuals, homeless people, etc.) After that strange adjustment period, I began actively seeking out friendships and conversations in order to educate myself. FINALLY I have the confidence that I can talk to anyone. (So simple yet not so easy... sad, huh?) Your child is blessed to have the opportunity to experience life in a way that more closely resembles the world: diverse.

[traceyk]

I think it is GREAT for kids to be surrounded by many different family situations. We laugh about how our full AA daughter is being raised a ovo-vegetarian Buddhist, who has a Jewish side (DHs) and a Christian side (mine) as well as an Aunt that is married to another woman *LOL* I think she will be well rounded. Oh yeah and her Mommy, Daddy and two sister are all CC