Annika has been learning her colors for some time now. She learned brown and orange pretty well several months ago For a while she confused all her colors, but in the past few weeks she’s really gotten the hang of it. Since she understands now that she knows her colors, she’s been excitedly pointing out [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
After skin color, the other most obvious difference between the races is typically hair texture. When I was pregnant I wondered about fixing Annika’s hair. How would I comb it? Would it be easy? Would I mess it up? When do I start using product? Do I really need to use product? Last week we [...]
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We’re in Michigan this week visiting Toyin’s family, and I knew being in southeast Michigan, which surrounds Detroit, I would likely have a much better chance of finding a brown baby doll. I was right. Of all places, my friend Tareeshia and I, found a whole shelf filled with Black babies at Big Lots. When [...]
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Annika mixes up her Ks and Ts. When she asks for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, she says, “Kwintshle, Mama, Kwintshle.” When she gets tickled, she laughs and says, “kittle.” This has nothing to do with health care reform and the bill finally passing, as this post does, it’s just fucking cute. When I awoke this [...]
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Did you know that they sell hair relaxers for little girls? Yeah, you know, chemicals to make your hair straight if you have curly hair. They are sold in the ethnic section. But the pictures of all the girls are Black girls. I guess that’s what ethnic means. (Please note the sarcasm.) Yet, in those [...]
Categories: Bi-racial, Biracial, Motherhood, Parenting, Uncategorized
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Tags: Bi-racial, Motherhood, Stereotypes
I think I finally get it. At least — as much as a White person can “get it.” And I’m even going to attempt writing about it, even though I’m not sure I can explain it. Yesterday a White woman casually referred to Annika as “caramel-skinned.” She wasn’t being racist or malicious. But in some [...]
Categories: Bi-racial, Racial Identity, Racism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Annika, Biracial, Parenting, Racism, Stereotypes
Toyin and I took Annika to the annual Zilker Park Kite Festival today for some fun, sun, and toddler running. She wasn’t that impressed with it. The festival was super crowded. Annika reacts to crowds much the way I do. They slow her down. She gawks at everything. She is overstimulated and can’t really enjoy [...]
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I always thought I would let Annika nurse until she was done. When Annika was an infant, I had no intentions of even night weaning. But this past week I’ve been seriously considering weaning completely. This topic has been no different for me than all of the other choices I have had to make when [...]
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Over the weekend I met with my Personal Renewal Group to discuss this month’s topic: Good is good enough. I hastily read the chapter the day before our meeting. It did not resonate with me in the slightest, so I skipped all the questions and journaling exercises. The author was talking about her perfectionist attitudes [...]
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I’ve been keeping a mental list of the things that nobody warned me about parenthood. (Okay, okay, I’ve got a long list documented on my computer just in case I ever find someone to blame.) But ANYWAY this one was just too pathetic not to share. Yes, I drew that. Being a parent makes you [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
