This post almost didn't make it to the live blog. I'm still not 100% sure if it's even a good idea. So, if you are offended, please tell me why and how to better go about having this conversation with my children.
Thursday afternoon on the way home from school, Kennedy, Taylor and I had the following conversation:
K: Mom, my friend's sister go run over by a Mexican!
Me: Wait, wait, wait. She got run over by whom?
K: H, got run over by a Mexican, and her mom and dad sued that Mexican and got 800 million, billion dollars from that Mexican.
Me: Kennedy, it is not polite to refer to someone as "that Mexican". Mexican refers to a person who is from Mexico. Just because a person has brown skin does not make them a Mexican.
K: Well, that's what she said.
Me: Well, I do not want to hear you refer to someone as a Mexican unless you know for sure that they are from the country Mexico. It is more polite to refer to someone as hispanic or latino.
K: Well, M is a Mexican Mutt.
Me: WHAT?
K: M is a Mexican Mutt.
Me: Is that what M said?
K: Yes, he is a Mexican Mutt because his dad is a Mexi (pause) hispanic and his mom is white.
Me: Well, if M's parents allow him to refer to himself like that, I can't do anything about it, but you may not ever refer to someone as a Mexina Mutt. That is rude. The word that you should use is biracial.
K: What?
Me: Biracial. Like your bicycle has 2 tires...biracial means 2 races. M's 2 races are hispanic and caucasian or white. Like J at school. Her mother is hispanic and her father is black. So, J is biracial.
Taylor: That's right. J is brown and her mom and dad "buyed her at the races!"
So, I'm interested in knowing how other people have had the conversation with their children. I mean, we teach our children that God made all people, and that God loves each of us the same. We also tell them that they should love all people the same. However, that teaching does not automatically make our children colorblind or answer all of their questions. Any ideas?
I love that Kennedy wants to talk about it though! That's great!
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't agree with the concept that we should be "colorBLIND" (not that I think you do either).
God created people in all shades, shapes and sizes and those unique qualities should be celebrated.
We've talked a lot (with the older 3) about how God made our family & how Aaron "looks" like us but Olivia doesn't & what does that mean.
I think just keep on keepin' on. You're doing the right thing!