Almost 2 years ago we were at Crest and Charlie asked our cashier (a black woman) where Little Bill was.
How do you respond? I don't think that we are raising her to be prejudice and yet things like this just pop out of her mouth. I just don't know how to respond.
2 comments:
It's not prejudice at her age; it's make observations. If her only interaction with dark skin is with Little Bill, then she is going to be in awe when she runs across the real deal. I took Paul up to my college when he was about 8 months or so and he could not get enough of this black professor - just wide eyed and mesmerized by her. And she shook her head and told me I needed to get him around more black people. Said with a smile, I might add.
Some people say kids are colorblind, but I don't really think so. My son describes other kids in relation to one of his friends at school - darker than or lighter than. Just the facts, in his world.
Oh, wait, I didn't answer your question. Just like me to ramble on and on.
You respond with a grin and a sense of humor. I have found that most people "get" little kids, and they are waiting to see how you react to your kid. If you can laugh and roll your eyes and offer an absurd explanation like "well, she does love that show", most people will laugh along with you.
You'll be surprised as your kids grow up - all that PC nonsense that we've gone through regarding race - it's paying off. Or at least that's my naive view!
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