Celebrating Your Child’s Heritage

If you adopt internationally, you will probably want to help your children feel pride in their national heritage. We do need to emphasize our children’s similarities to us and our unity as a family, and our American citizenship. But most adult adoptees report that they felt different from others anyway, especially if they lived in a non-diverse community, and wished they had been taught to take pride in their country of origin and its people. Larger adoption agencies often sponsor cultural events, picnics for families with children from a certain culture, and a family weekend “culture day” or “culture camp” … Continue reading

Birthday Traditions From Around the World

In honor of the multitude of parents who read our forums and enjoy our blogs and for the multicultural families who adopt their infants, toddlers and children from around the world, I wanted to do a tribute to birthday traditions from around the world. This week, my nephew will turn a year old. It is so hard to believe that he’s been with us for a year and yet at the same time, it feels like he’s always been a part of the fabric of our lives. Thailand According to old traditions in Thailand, the parents purchase as many birds … Continue reading

Toys for Muslim Children

Although Muslim children can play with many of the same toys as their non-Muslim counterparts, sometimes it’s nice to have toys that were made specifically for Muslims. With Islamic toys, we don’t have to worry about inappropriate clothing or language or questionable morals. Here are some links to games, toys, coloring pages, and stories made just for Muslim children: Razanne — Most young girls love dolls and many adore Barbie. Barbie can be fun and educational. However, with her tank tops, mini skirts, bikinis, and lifelong boyfriend, she doesn’t exactly embody Islamic values! Razanne is the Muslim’s answer to Barbie. … Continue reading