A big hello to you all!

Hello! I just stumbled on to this forum and I am very glad it is here. I sure wish my parents had such a place to go to when they were first considering adopting me! I am half black, my parents are white and I was adopted at 18 months. My parents already had 2 children of their own but felt adopting was the best way to round out the family. We are very close, and remain so to this day. I could not have asked for better parents! They have been a GREAT support to me in all I have ever tried to do. Yes, I did face some issues growing up, and if anyone needs someone who has "been there" to talk to, I would be more than happy to share. but to all who are thinking of adopting, don't let race stop you! My parents specifically requested a black or mixed race baby. Statistically, blacks are less likely to adopt formally, they are more likely to do informal adoptions within their own family (an aunt and uncle raising their nephew, for example). This is probably a large reason why there ARE so many mixed race/black babies out there who are so hard to adopt. As most of you probably realize, the demand is for healthy white infants. So I thank my parents from the bottom of my heart for adopting me, as I was also 18 months and had been in an abusive prospective adoptive family which obviously did not work out. They chose to take on someone who would have a few issues in life, and I am so grateful! Right now I am a social work major, I have 3 kids who are of mixed race too. The biggest thing I can forewarn all of you is that the issue of race probably WILL be a big one with your children. But, that is not necessarily a bad thing. I am very involved in race issues, but I channel them through co-running an adoption group, and my focus in school...as well as freelance writing. I have sold a few freelance articles, none of them related to race, but a lot of the projects I am working on DO involve race. Well, I just wanted to introduce myself and give you all the viewpoint of a person who grew up in the same situation as your children will be in, and tell you, for me at least, it was a great experience : ) !