Do you ever find yourself saying... for example.... "I was at the store and this black girl got in front of me " , etc. Or "a black guy helped me with the directions" ~ Why do we say this? I've heard people say this and I've done it. Do black people say this when they are talking about white people? I'm so curious.... I'll have to ask one of my "black friends" Ha, ha - I just did it.
Anyway, to the point. Davis (8) was talking about a kid he met a few weeks ago and about how some kids had been making fun of him and about how sometimes he curses. For about 2 weeks he would out of the blue start talking about him. One time he said, " mom, I've been thinking about Robert, I feel bad that kids make fun of him." Another time, "Mom, Robert's been on my heart, I've been praying for him". I would say, "good bud. Make sure you always stick up for him even if it's your friends that are making fun of him." He would say," I know, I know" and run off ~ So why was I shocked when I finally met Robert that he was black?! I was so humbled that my sweet little man had never mentioned this fact. I find myself learning so much from these little men I'm raising.
Let's all try to avoid using racial terms. Does it really matter or make a difference to the story anyway?
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Hey- It was great to meet you today! I'm addicted to adoption blogs, so I looked yours up as soon as the kids were in bed! You have a beautiful family!
ReplyDeleteLove this post, when we told our kids that we were adopting from Africa I kept wondering if they knew that their sister would have brown skin, but I decided not to say anything. I was eventually able to tell that they did know, but they never said a word about it- very cool.
I so agree about this. It is something that people, especially in the South are so guilty of. I try really hard not to do this but if I do I have Keilee who quickly corrects me. She hates people defining people by color. So at least if I mess up, I am raising a child who reminds me. :)
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