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As parents, I wish we would engage in more thoughtful conversations about the role of race in our lives.
In our children's lives.
Who does your child play with on a regular basis?
Who do you invite to your home for play dates?
Who are the characters in the books you pick out at the library?
Who are the characters in the films you view in the theaters?
What color are the dolls or action figures your child plays with?
I've had conversations with my son about his race from an early age. I didn't want him to be surprised that people may react to him differently because of the level of melanin in his skin. I want him to be aware that one day he'll stop being "cute" and may cause some one to walk quickly as he approaches. One day.
It pains me to even write this. But it's a reality as we wait on the world to change.
I don't understand parents who say "we don't see race, we're all human". Yes, our humanity is a fact. However, there is a reality in the U.S.that people are treated differently because of the way they look. We need to help our children understand this and help them recognize when they are participating in this mistreatment.
This is hard work.
But it's important work.
We have to raise our children to love the diversity of all of God's people. He made us different colors so that we could marvel in the beauty of his work. Instead we have come to think that ignoring it will make the pain go away.
I agree that we need to teach our kids (and some adults too) to appreciate our differences, especially where race is concerned. Ignoring or being color blind does not help the situation. To me it means that you have to block out the fact that I'm Black to be able to get to know me or treat me like you'd treat someone of your same race. And those are the kind of people I don't want around me. I want people to see my brown skin and still want to get to know me and my children.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to teach or children to love themselves, all of themselves. Children understand racial differences as soon as they interact with people of another race if they do not have vision problems. So we should teach them to appreciate and enjoy those difference.
ReplyDeleteI ask my son questions about color because for as long as I can, I'd like to see things in his color-blind eyes. To him everyone has brown skin, even his white teachers.
ReplyDeleteI know there will be a day when someone will call him a name or leave him out of a game because of his race. In the meantime, I'm going to work on what I'll say in that talk.
This is very true! I grew up in a very mixed shade family ...as is the great thing about being Puerto Rican ... However when I was little I thought everyone was Puerto Rican ...regardless of what color my friends were ... we were all Puerto Rican lol
ReplyDeleteI love this post -- totally agree!!
ReplyDeleteIt's complicated isn't it? How a parent teaches their child(ren) to love themselves, love others and understand that some people may not like them because of the color of their skin. I think that those who say they raise their kids to be color blind mean well. They mean that they raise them to not be influenced by race. Andre is biracial, which makes our extended family colorful and daughter a quarter white. She's only 2 and is home with a nanny who is white. Sometimes I wonder how her little mind is processing the concept of race so far. I am sure we will learn soon enough! :-) Thanks for stopping by Chaton's World!
ReplyDeleteWe are all different but inherently the same.
ReplyDeleteWell said. I don't have kids yet, but it makes a lot of sense to me.
ReplyDelete