I'm sure this will not be my most politically correct blog of all time, but I'm finding myself wondering what to do about my current dilemma. You see, Rowan has these little magnetic dolls that she loves to play with. She can dress them in little magnetic outfits, have them carry a purse or an umbrella, put fun shoes on them, etc. We've been using them as a reward when she goes potty. Anyway, there is a blond girl named Amanda and an African American girl named Kate. For quite a while, Rowan really didn't show a preference for one over the other. But lately, she's all about Amanda. She wants to play with Amanda and keep Kate in the case or let me or Lance play with Kate. And as I look around at our friends and the kids she plays with regularly and, sure enough, they all look like Amanda. Her best friend in Charlotte was half Vietnamese and her cousin Nathan is half Vietnamese, but here in the sprawling metropolis of Byron Center, it's pretty homogenous. In fact, I think Rowan might be the oddball by being the only brunette in the neighborhood. So, my question is, what do I do about this? I mean, I can't really scope out people with different ethnicities and try to make them become friends with us, can I? And, if so, where do I scope them out? Can you imagine that newspaper ad? "Mother of two seeking children of color to encourage inclusivity in her children. I will provide snacks, toys and anything else necessary for a fun playdate. You provide ethnicity. Dutch need not apply." Don't get me wrong, I love all of our friends and I love that we all have so much in common. I just have a feeling this will be something we'll be working on for a while. Hopefully our naughty black dogs aren't to blame...
1 comment:
Interesting! This is one of my saddnesses about leaving Ann Arbor - so little diversity here! And I have always been surprised that Annie hasn't asked more questions about racial differences, since her friends, too, are almost all white. My private theory about why she seems to just be OK with everyone, so far, is Sesame Street. It's a total guess on my part, and obviously not scientific at all, but I think (I hope!) that her seeing kids of all shapes, sizes, colors, disabilities playing together on that show (pretty much the only one she watches) might help her just assume that that's the way the world is, preventing me from having to have some sort of AfterSchool Special "moment" with her about how everyone looks different but is the same inside, etc. Worth a try? (Your arranged playdate idea might work too . . . ha ha)
Post a Comment