More from a participant's experience with Jane Brown Playshops, this time a mother's take on her kids' participation:

The 2 hour playshop is designed for children ages 5 and up. After the playshop, parents are given a general wrap-up.

This particular workshop session had approximately 15 kids ages 5-8 years old, most of whom were transracially internationally adopted. Jane conducted the workshop with the help of two young adult Korean adoptees. During the parent wrap-up, Jane explained a bit of the kind of activities and responses.

The first involved parents making a three-strand braided “Me” bracelet with their children before leaving the playshop area. The children were later told that one strand represented what is innately them, one symbolized what they have inherited from their birth parents, and the third strand stood for their adoptive families. They learned that if you tug on one strand, it can be broken, but a bracelet made by weaving all three strands together cannot be broken.

This started the discussion of what the children had in common (lives touched by adoption) and how there is strength in their “adoption power” (talking together, sharing experiences together).

... The children also reenacted an “adoption play” – some children participated, some watched. My older son was the birthfather in the play and together with the birthmother they brought their baby to the orphanage, put her in cradle and walked away. They talked about what they might have felt like for them as the birthparents, what it felt like for the baby. Then there were children representing the adoptive
parents, and they all talked about the feelings of the parents and the baby as s/he was adopted and left the orphanage.

The children talked about reasons why birthparents might bring their child to the orphanage; the kids mentioned one child policy in China, sickness, poverty, etc. They talked about thinking about birthparents and each child made a star that representing a wish for the birthparents or what they wished in relation to the birthparents: some wished that they could know their names or know what they looked like.

... Another very valuable part of the playshop focused on race, ethnicity and handling bullies. ... They did an exercise with brown and white eggs. They talked about their differences. But then cracked them in a bowl and discovered that they could no longer tell them apart because despite the outward differences, they were exactly the same on the inside.

... They shared whether or not they have been teased about skin color, ethnicity, adoption status. ALL of the children over 7 reported this happening although their parents might not know about it. Jane gave them science to back up some things (ie, all of our eyes are the same size – it’s only the skin around them that changes, why some people have brown skin, etc). They talked about being “peaceful warriors” and handling bully – they talked about good comebacks.

... One of the most amazing, touching, and difficult parts was when one of the older Korean adoptees broke down during the wrap up session. This woman touched my
heart with her stories from growing up and her enormous gratitude that parents are now trying to do “a better job” with their transracially adopted children.

... My 7 year old has told me several times that he really had fun and learned a lot of things and “I’m still thinking about some of it, Mom”.

My great thanks to the mom who let me post her comments. For those who can not, or have not yet, been able to attend, sharing these observations and impressions may be very helpful.