Regarding the May 27 story "Warnings on Transracial Adoption": I am the mother (a white mother) of nine children, ranging in age from 7 to 19. Seven of the children are adopted, with varying degrees of special needs. Of those adopted, three are white, two are black and [color="Red"]two are Mayan Indian from Guatemala.

I have been parenting transracially for more than 10 years. We live in a predominately white area, nearly exclusively white. We celebrate every child's uniqueness. [color="red"]We have had Cinco de Mayo parties, celebrated Kwanzaa, and our home is decorated with hints of each child's ethnicity. We also sponsor a child living in Africa. We regularly learn about all cultures. (For example, we celebrate Chinese New Year with a local adoption support group even though we do not have any children from China.) I teach my children that each and every person has something beautiful about them, and every race is equally special in God's eyes.

Having parented white, black and Indian children, I can tell you that properly parenting any child (adopted or not) is a challenge. I do not parent (or treat) my adopted children differently than my birth children. Nor do I parent my adopted black children differently than my adopted white or Indian children. They are all just "my kids."

Seven of my nine children are between the ages of 12 and 19. Yes, I have a house full of teenagers. I am very proud of who they are, and the lovely adults.