Race--meaning one's ethnic background--will always be of importance to me. You see, my husband is black. I am white. Our children are a beautiful blend of the both of us. Of course I think that. I am a mother.
But how will society treat my children? Will they grow up knowing they are loved and accepted by others for who THEY are and NOT who their parents are? This will always be my fear. It was my fear before I even had children with my husband. I know the best thing I can do is remind them every day that they are children of God FIRST. And that they were loved and accepted by Him before they were even born. God will always be for them. He loves them for who they are--because they are our children. Wonderful, sweet kids. I hope everyone takes the time to get to know them.
Stop!
Here's the scoop on Five Minute Friday from Lisa Jo herself:
We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that I post here at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag#FiveMinuteFriday
No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.
Unscripted. Unedited. Real.
It started because I’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And I figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.
So now on Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write without worrying if it’s just right gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes.
Hi, Allison! This is my first time visiting your blog and I'm so glad I stopped by. You see, I'm a "halfer", too. Half Mexican, half white. Not that I'm old at all (ahem), but when I was growing up, there really weren't a lot of people who were mixed. I remember wondering where I fit in. Now, I think it's so well accepted by just about everyone. At least that's been my experience.
ReplyDeleteYour children are absolutely gorgeous! I'm sure they're going to do just fine.
Blessings!
Thank you so much Jamie for taking the time to respond! I appreciate your thoughts and I hope you're right! I so want them to be confident in who they are and not be judged before anyone even gets the chance to know them! Many blessings to you, too!
DeleteSo nice to meet you from the 5MF. Can I just say how beautiful your family is?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barbie! :)
DeleteSo true. I have learned that people will accept or not accept other based on many different things. There are good and bad people everywhere. The best we can do something is teach our children that they are loved and teach them to love others. When they learn that they are cherished, they can stand up for those things which are right. What a wonderful gift you are giving your beautiful children.
ReplyDeleteAmen to everything you said! We try so hard to let the kids know how wonderful and special they are every day! It's so important!
DeleteHi Allison. My sister's children are half Native American and my sister-in-law's children are half Ghanaian. I couldn't even imagine withholding anything from them that any other person could want or need. If we continue to stand firm in the center of 'colorblinded-ness' it will be better for them and for future generations. God's truth ALWAYS WINS!
ReplyDelete~traci
xoxo
Wow! I love that--God's truth ALWAYS WINS! How right you are, Traci! I think you must be an awesome aunt to your sister and SIL's kids! I feel so blessed that so many people are taking the time to share with me the stories of the "blended" children in their families and lives.
DeleteWow, I wasn't expecting this - how refreshing to read your thoughts on the theme of "race." I don't have children yet, but they, too, will be a beautiful mix of my Mexican husband and my white self - yet how GOOD to remember that our identity as God's children trumps all, and what a precious thing to be teaching them... and your children are absolutely breathtaking.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Amber! :)
DeleteAllison - Your children are absolutely beautiful! I have raised my children the same way - they are children of God first! I have found when I don't make race an issue, then neither do they. Of course, there are always some who have no tact. My children are also half white/half black. I was married to their father, but for 12 years I have been a single parent.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a predominately white/Alaskan native area - so while there aren't many black people in our area, there are many "mixed" races. So it is 98% of the time a non-issue, but I have had people ask me where I adopted my children. IN FRONT of them. Rude. However, it did open the door to explaining about adoption - and my kids want us to adopt. I've had to explain being a single mom is hard & as much as I'd love to adopt, it is expensive. :-) (visiting from FMF)
Hi April, thank you so much for sharing! I have also had people ask me if my kids are adopted. And one day when my oldest daughter and I were at the grocery store, I actually had someone ask me what ethnicity my husband was. I honestly think this person was curious and there seemed to be no malicious intent in her question but still. Why does it matter? We live in the south so I fear it may be an issue as they continue to grow. Anyway, many blessings to you and your children! I'm so glad you stopped by to share with me! :)
DeleteYou have a very beautiful family, blessings upon all of you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Denise! :)
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