As a Filipino living in good ol’ boy country, I sometimes wonder if our child is getting the exposure to diversity. The area we live in is fairly barren of any diversity. I grew up as an American, and aside from enjoying Filipino food, my culture has been pretty much lost on me.
My husband and I haven’t broached the subject with our 3 year old simply because we didn’t really consider it an issue. I personally thought we’d be having the discussion with her along with the birds and the bees. Needless to say, it stunned me into silence when she asked us the question – “What color am I, Mama?”
At first, I didn’t understand the question and my answer was “blue” (the color of her pajamas). At her response, “You’re silly, Mama…I’m white! Are you white? Daddy, you’re black!”, I realized what she was really asking.
What do you say to that? How do you respond to questions of race?
