Approximately 2,900 children were adopted from other countries in 2019 according to the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Studies find that internationally adopted children are more likely to be a victim of bullies, both overt aggression and relation victimization. Overt aggression bullying is hitting, pushing, and name calling. While relational aggression bullying is purpose exclusion from groups and making up stories about a child. This led to finding out that these adopted children were more likely to be suffering from anxiety and depression.
Being adopted and welcomed into a new family and country can be such a happy and exciting time for a child. This experience can quickly be ruined by attending a school where everything is foreign. In 2017, my cousin, Saraphina, was adopted from Haiti. In my families’ small town, she is the only person of color, so she has stood out when surrounded by her peers from the beginning. Unfortunately, she has started to experience being bullied at school. Transracial adopted children are more vulnerable to bullying in elementary school as kids start to notice differences and would rather conform to their peers than stand out. These children have a hard time speaking up to their parents about the bullying due to their skin color because they think their parents won’t understand since they are white.
As we see in “The Leavers,” Deming gets bullied by Cody and called a “Chinese retard.” While trying to adapt to a new family and get comfortable with them Deming has to struggle internally with the bullying he is experiencing at school. This is something many adopted children experience as they don’t know their place in their new environment just yet. Adoptive parents have the responsibility of opening up to their children and talking about racism. Adoptive parents engagement with their child and their community can help to have a positive environment surrounding their child’s life. Transracial adopted children can be under a lot of stress and anxiety when joining a new family and environment, its up to the parents to help the child accept who they are and feel welcomed and as if they belong.
Sources:
https://baby.lovetoknow.com/adoption/how-many-children-are-adopted-each-year
A statistic given and the descriptors used for adopted children undergoing bullying help paint a picture of the necessity for change. The personal example relating to transracial adoption in The Leavers makes me consider the hardships that one experiences on a daily basis. Kids suffering from anxiety and depression early on make it difficult for parents to keep them healthy. A sense of belonging is what kids need to develop interactions and grow independently.
Thanks for sharing further information about the struggles faced in transracial adoptions. It’s so disheartening thinking about the people that have had to endure this and it’s sad to know that it even starts at such a young age.
This helps shed light on why adoption agencies try to place children with families of similar background and culture. Though in the US, the vast majority of adoptive parents tend to be Caucasian, creating a difficult circumstance for children of different race.
Seeing the statistic mentioned in the beginning is very upsetting. No child should have to experience that type of harassment from their peers, especially a child who already is trying to learn to adapt. Thank you for sharing the personal anecdote as well. It really adds to the weight of the blog post.
It is sad to see how early we are taught to punish people for being different. People need to see that it is also the job of the parent to explain what is going on, but it is also the job of all parents to teach kids to recognize and celebrate differences.
Looking at the statistics and reading certain stories like these is heartbreaking. I will never understand how people can be punished for looking “different”. It is very confusing because who has the right to say what is normal and what isn’t, so why should they be the ones to be considered “different”. This was very interesting to read, thank you for sharing.
I agree with you is the parents role to help the child feel more comfort in their skin color. Also parent should teach their children to be confident and not let bullies influence them or make them feel stressed. It reminds of me when I went to Egypt i was the only colored person in my class but i was confident so i was thankfully never bullied.
This module has opened my eyes to just how hard it is for immigrant children or adopted children to feel at home in the new place they are. Bullying is unfortunately inevitable even for the average child but usually it stops when you get older. Racism and bias’ never end. There are people who will forever hold grudges and racism in their hearts and treat people terribly based on what, I will never know. It is so important for parents to be a role model and shoulder to lean on during this time. Like we see in “The Leavers” Deming didn’t have that which I feel led him down the wrong path.
I like that you included a personal story about your cousin in the post. It is sad how you mentioned that these adopted children who are victims of bullying often don’t feel comfortable talking about it with their parents.
First off, I found your sources to be very interesting. Thank you for sharing those. Definitely statistics that we would like to have changed as we move forward. I appreciate the personal connection to the reading, and the strong message you’re conveying. Adopted children have just as much of a difficulty, if not more difficulties, as an adult immigrant. I’m sure fitting in with a new family and furthermore grow up in a community in which you are practically a double minority has its pressures and obstacles.