When a couple decides to adopt a child, whether internationally or domestically, one would be wise to consider all aspects of the elements the child will be in need of. This means the issues that will arise in later years, not just those first few months when the child is brought home. The majority of parents decide to tell their child of the adoption. In many cases, a child of a different ethnic background will be adopted, so this issue will most certainly be addressed. While younger children may not be concerned with such issues, as a child grows older, questions will arise.

One of the most important aspects and questions will be those surrounding the family heritage and sense of identity of that child. Child who are adopted will most likely at some point enter a phase in which they begin to question who they are. Knowing that they originated from birth parents, and in many cases they were born overseas, they will begin to have many questions. As children grow, it is an essential part of their emotional well being to feel that they belong. Adoptive parents would be wise to help a child find their family heritage and their sense of identity and not perceive this as a betrayal. While the child will most likely be very happy to be part of their loving family, it is a basic and crucial need to want to know where you come from and where your roots belong.

Adoptive parents can cater to this need for family heritage and self identity in several ways. The first and easiest is to simply speak of it. Children can be told about the country from which they come from. Domestic children of a different ethnic background can be told facts regarding their particular ancestry. Books can be shown and read to a child, to allow that child to obtain a better understanding.

If financial circumstances allow, bringing a child back to their original country can be an amazing and comforting experience. When a child is old enough to go back to their country of origin, they will have a very profound and deep understanding of the reason that they were adopted. While a parent will not want their child to see overly disturbing images and scenes, it is very doable to show a child their country and the situation in which they would have lived, had they not been adopted. A child will then usually feel a sense of relief; they were not taken away from their one home: they were chosen by loving parents so that they could live in a healthy and safe environment.

Children of different ethnic backgrounds may also benefit from the adoptive family conducting certain customs of that child’s family heritage and traditions. Parents can become educated regarding holiday and other celebrations and then integrate those into the traditions already held. This will give a child a great sense of identity. Above all else, when an adoptive child asks, “who am I”, adoptive parents should be well prepared to answer. Although brought into a loving home, a child will always need to know of their family heritage. This is best if the information comes from the child’s parents. A child looks to their parents for answers, and with a bit of investigating, these answers are not difficult to find.