Open thread at dinner:
Marcel: My soccer games. I don’t really like it. I’m only going to try it one more time.
Me: Why?
Marcel: Because there are too many people.
Me: On the filed, or watching?
Marcel: Watching. I just want it to be me and all the the soccer players. I don’t like other people that I don’t know so close to me.
(pause)
Sam: I don’t know.
Marcel: What do you want to talk about Sam?
Sam: Um. That um. Sometimes my brother says I did things that I didn’t do.
Me: What about the fact that Kindergarten is almost over?
Sam: I’m a little freaked that I’m going into 1sr grade.
Me: How is that different?
Sam: I’ve never been.
Me: What is one great thing about being a Brown skinned person? Something you get to do, or be that I don’t know?
Sam: I have more girlfriends then you have boyfriends.
Me: What is it about being Brown that is special?
Sam: Only I can do a flip in a pool.
Me: Anything else I should know?
Sam: Only that White people are better than Brown.
Me: (Insert a couple of minutes dispelling that here) Do you feel that way in school?
Sam: All the time.
Marcel: I am creamy. Sometimes I feel like I am yellow.
Me: Yellow? Why?
Marcel: I’m just kidding.
Sam: Brown is Pele’s color, and he is the best.
Marcel: Sometimes I am like a god.
Me: Huh. What does that mean?
Marcel. No! I am in God.
Me: What does that mean?
Marcel: I don’t know.
___
When was the last time you asked your kids if they could tell the world anything what would it be? If I didn’t force the issues, I’d probably learn a lot more. (It’s hard for me to just listen.) I have the laptop open as the boys talk, and catch it verbatim. They understand that this is for “Mama C”. That may influence their input. I always read these posts over to the boys for their “OK” prior to publishing.
I always love getting to “eavesdrop” on your conversations with the boys–especially teachable moments. I’d love to know, if you don’t mind sharing, how you dispelled the notion of white superiority that you referenced here. I feel like those are such important comments to address with kids and I often find myself at a loss for the “right” words.
In this case we discovered that his feelings were centered around a particular student who is in his school, is White, and who he thought was “better”. So I spent few minutes talking about Sam’s gifts and the gifts of the other child. How comparisons are “odious” as we like to say. It departed from race quickly actually. But if I remember it correctly it came back to it too. Thanks for asking. I’ll try to “catch” another conversation next time it happens on the topic.
i was just wondering how you got this effect on your photo? an app?
great image!!
Yes–it’s called “toon paint” and it takes a picture and turns it into a cartoon in seconds allowing you to manipulate it with ease!