Kay Perrin, PhD
Tampa, FL

In 1983, we adopted a black 8-week old baby boy in Tampa, Florida. At the time, we had a biological boy, age 3 years. I would frequently take my older son to preschool and then run errands with my newly adopted black son. Twice, complete strangers would walk by me in the grocery store and say “try a white guy next time.” This was the beginning of learning what to expect from raising my white son and my black son in the south. Another example was having both children in the grocery cart and having someone ask if my children had the same father. I quickly learned to find humor and blessings in these situations.