Description

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A companion to What White Parents Should Know about Transracial Adoption, this practical workbook guides readers to better understand transracial adoption and do the work of anti-racist, trauma-informed parenting.

A must-read for white parents who have transracially adopted or prospective parents considering transracial adoption, this follow-up to What White Parents Should Know about Transracial Adoption offers a wealth of activities, templates, and questions for self-reflection. Melissa Guida-Richards, who learned at the age of 19 that she was adopted from Colombia as an infant, addresses the complexities of transracial adoption with insight, compassion, and the wisdom of lived experience. Through thought-provoking questions and activities, Guida-Richards guides you to:

• Consider the role of infant-mother bonding and understand developmental trauma in adoptees
• Understand the complex history of adoption; recognize illegal and unethical practices, such as trafficking operations and baby factories; and ask the important questions when working with adoption agencies
• Look more deeply at implicit bias, white saviorism, and white fragility
• Locate and utilize adoption-competent mental health care
• Offer culturally aligned education, community, and resources to your child
• Acknowledge the effects of racism and celebrate your child’s race and culture

Throughout the workbook, Guida-Richards guides you to break free from toxic positivity, understand and drop defenses, engage in difficult conversations, and learn to listen to your child’s experience. Whether you are a potential parent considering a transracial adoption, a parent of an adopted child, or a therapist or advocate working with adoptive families, this practical and engaging workbook will help you “do the work” of furthering anti-racist, child-centered, and trauma-informed parenting.

About the Author

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MELISSA GUIDA-RICHARDS is an author, adoptee, and advocate based in Pennsylvania. She was adopted in 1993 from Colombia to a family in the USA. Her second book, What White Parents Should Know About Transracial Adoption (North Atlantic Books, 2021), received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was labelled a “must-read for parents who adopt” by Library Journal. She launched the Adoptee Thoughts Instagram and Podcast to help elevate adoptee voices and educate adoptive parents on the nuances and complexity of adoption.

Praise For…

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“Melissa has done it again: asking you direct questions to get to the heart of the issue. For adopted children to have the best possible outcomes, adoptive parents need to heed adult adoptee voices like Melissa’s.”
—Haley Radke, adoptee and creator of the Adoptees On podcast

“...a must-have for all adoption practitioners and agencies! Melissa has struck gold again in putting this workbook together. Her incredible insight and keen perception into the challenges of transracial adoption shine through every page.... Prospective adoptive parents will find a concise and well-thought-out map to navigating adoptive parenting in a way that is child centered and elevates the adoptee experience. Get it, learn from it, and be the best adoptive parent you can be.”
—Ruth dos Santos, co-creator of The Adoption Companion

“This is such a necessary resource despite the uniqueness of every adoption and every adoptee. I commend Melissa for taking the painstaking effort to help parents navigate what could be on the horizon and, more importantly, to validate adoptee perspectives and experiences!”
—Michelle Li, journalist, Korean adoptee, and co-founder of The Very Asian Foundation

“...a powerful workbook that will help adoptive parents support and understand their child. Melissa has gone above and beyond to make sure any parent that goes through this workbook is equipped with the right language, knowledge, and action steps to be a great parent. I would suggest this to any transracial adoptive parent as an essential part of their parenting journey.”
—Isaac Etter, founder of Identity

“I feel like the questions and personal stories made me truly open my eyes and self-reflect into the reasons why I adopted and if I’m doing the work to do right by my adoptee. As a Black transracial adoptive parent, I think all adoptive parents could benefit from this book!”
—Jeena Wilder, adoptive mom and creator of Hey There Wilders

“In this thought-provoking workbook amplifying the experiences of adoptees, the reader learns that white adoptive parents cannot support the children they choose to adopt without vulnerably examining their own positionality on race, adoption, and systems of power—none of which are mutually exclusive. A must-have for anyone seeking to support adoptees of color.”
—Dr. Tony Hynes, adoptee and author of The Son with Two Moms

“...a comprehensive guide to the tough topics that every transracial/transnational family will face over the course of time and how to compassionately navigate them. This workbook will be a staple for families and adoption professionals worldwide.”
—Jessica M. Luciere, transracial adoptee, adoptee advocate, and manager of community engagements and post-adoption services at Spence-Chapin

“[This workbook] created by Melissa Guida-Richards is the tool I didn’t know I needed.... It is a treasure for an adoptive parent. The gold within its pages will bend and stretch you, in all the right ways, if you will allow it. And I hope you will.”
—Heather Avis, New York Times best-selling author