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Tag: National Adoption Awareness Month

November Nourishment

November Nourishment: Sustaining Strong and Healthy Families

Thanksgiving can be one of the more complicated historical holidays, and for many in the United States, one of the more family and food-centric holidays. Whether you are a family that chooses not to mark Thanksgiving in a traditional way, or your family goes all out with a big Thanksgiving celebration, this month we are thinking about the family table and what might be true when there are differences of race and culture with transracial adoption. November also brings National Adoption Awareness Month, (NAAM) which can be challenging for some adopted persons. This month prompts on your activity deck include questions for both areas of discussion.

November Tip to Foster Conversations About Transracial Adoption

At Transracial Journeys we send out cues for conversations each month. Our Transracial Journeys card deck contains 3 cards for each month that the children use to ask their parents questions. Below are the questions for November. Before getting started, read the parent pro-tip each month.

November Tip for Parents: Talking about family and complicated history can activate deep-seated emotions and feelings. Make sure you have the support you need to process your feelings before and after the conversations you may have with your children.

November Transracial Journeys Cards

CARD ONE: IDENTITY
The Family Table: Describe your family table when you were growing up.  What was the food like?  Who was around the table? What were the best parts of family dinner-time? What were some of the harder parts?
NAAM: When did you first learn of NAAM?

CARD TWO: RELATIONSHIPS
The Family Table: Who were the people sitting around your family table?
NAAM: What does NAAM mean to you?

CARD THREE: EMBRACING AND FACING DIFFERENCES OF RACE AND CULTURE
The Family Table: Were there ever people of different races around your family table?
NAAM: How can we find our own unique ways to honor and mark NAAM?

This post is from our November, 2024, newsletter. If you would like to get our newsletter in your inbox each month, please subscribe.

National Adoption Awareness Month 2024

National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM): Embracing a Broader Narrative

By April Dinwoodie, TRJ Part-time Executive Director, Speaker, Trainer  

National Adoption Month (NAM) was officially launched by the U.S. federal government in 1995 under the Clinton Administration, with its roots going back to 1976, when Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis first established an adoption awareness week. The original goal was to promote adoption as a pathway to provide permanent homes for children in foster care, focusing on the need for adoptive families and support within the child welfare system.

In recent years, however, adopted persons and advocates have redefined November’s focus by adding “awareness” to the month and broadening the conversation. While the original intent centered on finding families for children, today NAAM also highlights the lived experiences of adopted persons. This includes raising awareness of the complexities of identity, the importance of connections to birth families, and systemic issues within the adoption process. By reclaiming NAAM, adopted persons are making space for authentic conversations, centering their voices, and advocating for transparency, ethical practices, and post-adoption support.

For adopted individuals, NAAM can evoke a mix of empowerment, pride, grief, and introspection. It’s a month that acknowledges both the strengths and challenges within adoption, and families can support adopted children by fostering open conversations around identity, belonging, and personal history. This might mean learning more about each member’s cultural heritage, seeking resources to support identity development, or simply being present as children explore their connections to adoption.

This November, lean into NAAM with sensitivity. Rather than focusing solely on celebrating adoption, consider how the month might feel for adopted children in your family or community. Are they comfortable with how adoption is discussed? Do they have questions or thoughts that may be difficult to share? Creating an intentional space where children can express a full range of emotions—from joy to grief—can make this month meaningful for everyone.

Tips for Navigating NAAM:

  • Start Conversations with Openness and Empathy
    Ask open-ended questions about how your child feels about adoption. Be ready to listen and validate a range of emotions, including curiosity, pride, and grief. Share your feelings as well and validate the mix of emotions that can come up.  (See our conversation cards for November)
  • Pause to Reflect on Language and Narratives
    Consider whether the narratives around adoption feel inclusive and supportive for your child. Encourage discussions that respect complex family histories and the value of connections to family of origin.
  • Learn Together
    Use NAAM as an opportunity to explore cultural heritage, adoptive and extended family connections, and resources that support identity formation. Engaging together can help children feel understood and valued.
  • Check In with Yourself
    Talking about family and complicated histories can stir deep emotions. Make sure you have the support you need to navigate these conversations with compassion, both for yourself and the children in your life.

NAAM is a time for reflection, learning, and honoring the full spectrum of emotions that adoption can bring. By leaning in with sensitivity, families can create a space for connection, understanding, and support. While NAAM is a time when all of this is top of mind, remember that these conversations, reflections and actions should be happening all year long.  

This post is from our November, 2024, newsletter. If you would like to get our newsletter in your inbox each month, as well as information about our annual Transracial Journeys Family Camp and our monthly Zoom call to provide support for our transracial adoption parents please subscribe.

Nourishment: Reflecting on Thanksgiving, Adoption and the Family Table

author: Avril McInally

Our November theme is all about family and nourishment but not simply about food and what we eat, but how we nourish our understanding of the uniqueness of our families and in service of the children we are entrusted to care for and love.

This month we center on both Thanksgiving and National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM)! This year NAAM’s theme is “Small Steps Open Doors”. One step we can take as adoptive parents is to participate in the online training available from the National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents. This curriculum,

“is now available and free to States, counties, Territories, Tribal Nations, and private agencies. The curriculum encompasses more than 38 themes that include contributions from adults who have experienced foster care and address topics such as parenting in racially and culturally diverse families, trauma informed parenting, and maintaining a child’s connections.”

Thanksgiving and NAAM

At the intersection of Thanksgiving and National Adoption Day, which is held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, while we traditionally center on the joy we also need to make space for the challenges that come to our literal and figurative table. Days commemorating adoption, as well as the history of Thanksgiving, can be challenging for those of us who have been adopted as well as for indigenous people in the United States. We, as families formed by transracial adoption, have a unique and lived perspective of coping with related challenges in this nation. As we continue to move through the more complex layers of our modern lives, we can ask ourselves an important question - how can we celebrate or commemorate Thanksgiving and NAAM? Related post: Adoption: A Three-Sided Coin

Deciding What Holidays to Celebrate

In the past, we’ve shared thoughts about Juneteenth and Independence Day, and how different families decide to celebrate one holiday over the other. What we choose to put on our calendars and how we choose to celebrate or give a moment’s grace to our anniversaries is personal to each one of our families. This year, we encourage all families to work on threading the strands of National Adoption Day and Thanksgiving together at the Thanksgiving meal. Let’s give thanks for family, honor the adopted children entrusted to us, and continue to process the history of Thanksgiving and how it plays out in our lives today. As children advance and grow, we can encourage conversations and connections to adoption and differences of race. Regardless of how old children are, there is an opportunity to explore the important elements of identity and connection.

This post is from our November, 2022, newsletter. If you would like to get our newsletter in your inbox each month, please subscribe.