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I've always been very aware that I'm 50% Danish, 25% Irish, and 25% French for as long as I can remember, and always enjoyed my grandmother's traditionial Danish Christmases and food, or hearing my French grandmother speak French to a friend. What the heck is wrong with understanding your ethnic makeup?
So if I let my children know that they're half black, that means they're more likely to fail? I'm not talking about raising them in "thug culture". On the black side of their family, most are college educated people with good jobs. Not the case on my side of the family as I was the first one to attend and graduate from college.
When I say there are cultural differences on both sides of their family, I don't mean some stereotype like on the white side, everyone is like the "Cleavers" and on the black side it's all "Snoop Dog". Far from it.
I agree that you're doing a good job. I think that people distinguishing so much between "black" and "white" culturally are stereotyping way too much. Ethnicity isn't THAT big of a deal now that we are all Americans. It doesn't really matter where our ancestors came from. Heritage and being proud of your ethnicity is great...but it's not everything and there are tons of people out there living outside the "stereotypes" associated with their ethnic background.
Maybe if there was less stereotyping, the black community would be more successful as a whole.
When I became pregnant with my first son, my family told me I was going to have a "yellow baby" and that my new husband couldn't possibly be a good husband or ever be faithful because he was "Buddhist". He's half Thai, and he's not Buddhist, but they are racist, and they saw what they chose to see. I wasn't marrying or having a child with a rich, white, Christian man... so by their opinion I was basically flunking out of life.
I don't associate with them anymore. I have, however, been married to the same wonderful man for almost 14 years now, and we have 2 beautiful children.
In my experience, it's mainly the older generations that still put focus on race, color of skin, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, etc. To younger generations - people in their 30's and younger, generally - for most of us, those things don't matter as much. We've grown up in historically, and culturally, very different times. What's important to the older generations - people in their 40's, 50's, and so on - is not as important to the younger generations.
To the OP - I think it would be wonderful to offer up as much exposure to as many different cultures as you possibly can, and follow the child's lead from there. Bring lots of books into the home that have stories about all kinds of people - not just black and white. Go to museums, watch multi-cultural and foreign films, find a school that has a diverse group of kids. Attend art openings featuring artists from many different backgrounds. Don't make it about being half black or half white, or one or the other. That would be confusing... thinking... "What am I?" Make it about being human, about being American, and we're all here together trying to make it work. We hardly know anyone who is 100% anything anymore. We all got a little color in us from somewhere.
Thats because you are not a child. This is 2008 and younger generations do not care. The only reason why certain kids do care is because parents force the race issue on them. Don't make this a black and white thing. Because there is no black or white culture. There is American culture. Sure she should get to know her family but don't make such an emphasis on race.
I completely agree as well. People make to much of it now. The younger generation is even more a melting pot then we are, I see no reason to go out of your way to expose her to black skinned people.
If you stress that theirs a difference between white and black then you'll only be creating a rift...
Just to add on to this post. I would suggest you do your best expose the child to as much diversity as possible. The child will find were they fit in and move forward from there. A diverse school will allow the child to have friends of all races and be a much more rounded person. As stated earlier kids of today do not have a hang up on race. They see people as people and large reason for this is the fact we are much more diverse today than we were 30 years today. Bi-racial kids use to get a second look from me but today it is so common I never even notice. Being raised in a diverse enviroment is the key IMHO.
Yeah, they poop, pee, scream and cry, just like the rest of them!
Exactly. My daughter is bi-racial and she is growing up just like any other kid. I'm not doing anything special because of her bi-racialness.
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