Mother of five, Jenna Wilder has gone viral on social media not for the latest dance craze nor for the tastiest recipes. Wilder is a staunch proponent of transracial adoption. The social media star recently sat down recently with People Magazine to talk transracial adoption and much more, stating that she, “wants to see more diverse families like hers.
The South Carolina mom has five children with her husband, ranging from 7 weeks to 8 years old. One of the sisters just so happens to be white. In her interview, Wilder points out that although they “don’t hide differences,” that doesn’t change the love that they feel for each other.
“They notice their differences. We don’t hide their differences,” the 32-year-old mother told People. “But just because you are different doesn’t make you less of a family. We openly talk about stuff like that … ‘Mommy and Daddy don’t even look the same, but we love each other and we’re a family, before we even had you.’ You don’t have to look the same to be a family.”
Wilder rose to social media fame through a desire to see more families like hers online. She began posting parenting and family content, which attracted a community of parents, adoptive parents, interracial couples and other nontraditional family makeups. Among her over 200K followers, on just Instagram, she also has a few famous moms in the mix such as Jessica Alba and Bekah Martinez.
“I want to see more families adopting and maybe even becoming foster parents. Not only is there a huge need for it, but I really feel like having different families, that is going to be more beneficial to the children who are needing those types of families. Those children who are in the system are as diverse as the parents that are needed,” Wilder said in her interview.
She continued, “These children have been through a lot of trauma. They’ve gone through a lot. They really need dedicated parents who are going to make sure that they’re going to put the work to really help these children and make sure that they’re the best version of themselves.”
Although Wilder has has a growing following of supporters, unfortunately, she also has to deal with hateful commenters. Yet, instead of ignoring them, Wilder sets them straight.
“In the beginning I used to ignore them and then eventually I’m just as snarky. Because I have to be. Why would I not want to defend my family?”
“I have blocked a lot of people. And I know because they’re behind a computer that they feel like they could say stuff like that. … But it is annoying,” Wilder continues. “It hurts sometimes because we get the people who are mean. But we also get the people who think that, ‘This is not true. You don’t get messages like these.’ Then I’m like, ‘As much as I wish I wasn’t getting messages like these, I am not creative enough to come up with the stuff that people say.'”
Wilder admits that adoption is not easy; however, there are millions of children out there waiting for a home. If you’d like to learn more about transracial adoption, follow Jenna for tips or consult your local adoption agency.
