I'm mixed race and adopted into a white family AMA

[probablyhangry]

I was adopted at age 3 and I'm half Nigerian, half white British. I just felt like trying this AMA out

Did your adopted family, teach you about your heritage?

Do you wish you'd been adopted by a family with similarly mixed or Nigerian heritage?

Did your adopted family, teach you about your heritage?
No not really, I don't they ever really thought about it but I have tried to learn more about my heritage

Do you wish you'd been adopted by a family with similarly mixed or Nigerian heritage?
In some ways no because I wouldn't have the loving family i have but it would have made some things easier. No one would give me a second glance walking down the street with my family and no one would have asked questions when i was picked from school but i got used to those kinds of things

oh that's sad.

How did you find growing up without that knowledge?

Have you met any of your birth family? How much do you know about them?

As an aside, I have adopted cousins and everyone used to say how very much alike one of my cousins was with his (adopted) dad. He did look and act like him, and had his mannerisms and both were chuffed when people (who didn't know) would say 'oops aren't you like your dad?' or 'you have to be XXs boy!'

What do you think about families adopting children of a different race, if those children are given a loving family and more informed of their roots?

How did you find growing up without that knowledge?
Well growing up everyone I knew was white, as I got older i did feel different to them but I'd been raised the same, I was still treated differently from some people. As I became an adult, went to University and discovered the "real world" I did feel a bit in the middle. I met people that were a similar race to me but still felt different to them. Sorry if this doesn't make much sense it's hard to explain

Have you met any of your birth family? How much do you know about them?
I've met my brother and I know about as much as he remembers and what my parents were told, he was 8 when we were placed into the care system. I'm still in contact with him but we don't talk often

What do you think about families adopting children of a different race, if those children are given a loving family and more informed of their roots?
I think its a great thing to do no matter of anyone's race a loving family is what really matters

Just like before.... you think that's sad? Why??

Do you feel like you're more 'white' as a result of your upbringing? I'm trying to ask this in the nicest way, sorry! Would you have liked to have been brought up in a more diverse place?

Do you feel like you're more 'white' as a result of your upbringing?

Don't worry I understand what you're saying but yeah I do. I was brought in quite a "white" middle class area and I think it would have been nicer to live in a more diverse place

Would you visit Nigeria if you had the chance so you could understand more about your roots and culture from that side and then visit the English area to get a sense of your history from both sides?

I'm glad you didn't feel too uncomfortable growing up, and you eventually tracked some family down.

I had heard that many struggled in similar circumstances, and that because of this the recommendations/laws(?) were changed so now, children can only be adopted into same culture families.

I felt maybe it was a bit heavy handed, rather than trying first to find a loving right ethnicity family, but if one is not found, then finding a loving family and making sure new the family educate and explore the child's heritage. (I don't know if they do now, I just know I heard about it a few years ago)

you think that's sad? Why??

Why is it not sad? a child growing up surrounded by white people but looking in the mirror and seeing how different they are, but not knowing why. Not knowing about what makes up their heritage, there own identity.

Not at all the same as the OP. But did you know in Australia baby's were taken from aboriginal's and brought up as white in white families, and denied any access or information of their race.

*should say ' and denied any access or information of their race and birth parents'