Wonder what race my son will associate himself as...

fauxbunny · November 2008

I'm all different bits of European white (Polish, Irish, Hungarian, you name it!) while my husband is Filipino/black.

Thanks to this whole debaacle about Obama just being portrayed as black and no one seeming to care to mention he's mixed... I wonder if this is going to start affecting kids' brains even more, and have them only referring to part of their heritage.

I know it's too soon to really care (my kiddo is 1w3days old, lol) but I have to wonder, now! Especially because he looks more like me than anything! I was expecting him to have my husband's facial structure and his skin to be at LEAST a bit darker. It's more like looking at a living baby picture of myself, yikes!

ABMcKinney · November 2008

I'm hoping my son will just associate himself with the Human Race.

crackerjackprinter · November 2008

I'm 1/4 filipino and you'd never know it. For some reason it's like that in my family. Some of us look completely white while others look completely filipino.

I understand your questioning it though!

lanie26 · November 2008

I have a half filipino baby. I don't know either. I hope she can just identify as Jo.

milfy1 · November 2008

ABMcKinney:
I'm hoping my son will just associate himself with the Human Race.

milfy's word of the day: Cheesy!

Toosdai · November 2008

fauxbunny:

I'm all different bits of European white (Polish, Irish, Hungarian, you name it!) while my husband is Filipino/black.

Thanks to this whole debaacle about Obama just being portrayed as black and no one seeming to care to mention he's mixed... I wonder if this is going to start affecting kids' brains even more, and have them only referring to part of their heritage.

I know it's too soon to really care (my kiddo is 1w3days old, lol) but I have to wonder, now! Especially because he looks more like me than anything! I was expecting him to have my husband's facial structure and his skin to be at LEAST a bit darker. It's more like looking at a living baby picture of myself, yikes!

Um, Obama isn't being portrayed as anything. HE identifies himself as Black.

My child is interracial and how she chooses to indentify herself is up to her. She will be raised to love and respect both races.

chalmette · November 2008

As long as it's with pride, hopefully all of them.

LanaBean22 · November 2008

i am mixed russian/polish/african american and DH is irish...our daughter is very light with blue eyes, however, i will raise her to know all areas of her heritage and never to discriminate. my college essays were about "which box to check" and i always pick other as to deny 1/2 of myself would be to deny 1/2 of my family who loves me...he will be fine and will probably get a few shades darker as he gets older...not that it matters as he is beautiful just the way he is!

ugabrat@yahoo.com · November 2008

Your son is beautiful.

tmbuchmann · November 2008

Your son is adorable!

Erin Mary Ackerman · November 2008

Givin a shout out to the interracial babies. Oh yes, you are all jealous of my BEAUTIFUL babies

mwah. love.

fall-love · November 2008

My sister said something similar... my 3 y/o niece's dad is black but she's being raised in a white family (her dad is only minimally involved), just as Obama was... I think it's sad that people of mixed heritage seem to identify with just one or the other (usually black).... Obama is 1/2 black but he's 1/2 white too, and given that his family who raised him was white, you'd think he'd identify more that way. I don't know. I guess I can't really understand since I'm not personally of mixed heritage.

August112007 · November 2008

I am mixed with black and white and my DH is black and filipino. We both id with our black heritage, while we never denied our other 1/2. But we were raised by our white and filipino sides. I think it has a lot to do with how we look (skin tone, features) and how we were perceived as we grew up. We are both 30 so back when we were kids if you were a little black you were black. But these days mixed raced children are everywhere (we live on the west coast) so I think it will be a wait and see game with your son.

jamienichole · November 2008

I wonder the same thing about my DS. I'm white, DH is African American. I don't think it's a bad thing to think about, but like another poster said, maybe he will see himself as both and associate with both races.

calicoast · November 2008

I thought Obama did identified himself as white too.

My daughter is 1/2 White and 1/2 Latina, I hope she IDs herself as both....and also as a Californian, because that is where she was born after all!

Big Smile

sugarcube · November 2008

I'm biracial and have always associated myself with both races. Even being raised with only one side of the race I still always associated myself with both.

calicoast · November 2008

I thought Obama did identified himself as white too.

My daughter is 1/2 White and 1/2 Latina, I hope she IDs herself as both....and also as a Californian, because that is where she was born after all!

Big Smile

Hopin4aBaby · November 2008

I have wondered about this as well. I am mixed (black and white) and my husband is white. My 8 month old daugther has very light skin a little olive tonned, dark hair and blue eyes. She doesn't really look like she has any black in her yet. So i have also wondered. I never denied I was black and white (raised by both my parents), but look wise I would be classed into the black catergory. I'm curious what that will mean for my daugther in the future.

LaLaSweets · November 2008

I'm a mutt hahaha My mom is full puerto rican and my dad is half west indian and half german where my husband is irish. Poor kid hahahahaha

MommaBrown · November 2008

i cant speak with any great authority because i'm about as white as they come. but maybe you could focus on taking pride in the heritage of each race rather than focusing on which side he should be on. then your son will just be himself and not his color.

(does that make sense? it sounds right in my head - but not sure if i worded it correctly.)

jamienichole · November 2008

MommaBrown:

i cant speak with any great authority because i'm about as white as they come. but maybe you could focus on taking pride in the heritage of each race rather than focusing on which side he should be on. then your son will just be himself and not his color.

She isn't focusing on what side he should be on, she's wondering if he will identify himself with one race more than the other. I'm sure she plans on teaching him both sides of his race as would most parents of biracial children.

MommaBrown · November 2008

jamienichole:?She isn't focusing on what side he should be on, she's wondering if he will identify himself with one race more than the other.? I'm sure she plans on teaching him both sides of his race as would most parents of biracial children.?ok, i guess i didn't get that when i read it. it seemed like an either/or. and 'side' wasn't the best term to use! sorry!?

breezey2323 · November 2008

ABMcKinney:
I'm hoping my son will just associate himself with the Human Race.

Spoken like a true white person.

breezey2323 · November 2008

fall-love:
My sister said something similar... my 3 y/o niece's dad is black but she's being raised in a white family (her dad is only minimally involved), just as Obama was... I think it's sad that people of mixed heritage seem to identify with just one or the other (usually black).... Obama is 1/2 black but he's 1/2 white too, and given that his family who raised him was white, you'd think he'd identify more that way. I don't know. I guess I can't really understand since I'm not personally of mixed heritage.

I think its about more than just who your family is. I'm pretty sure that everyone would call the man crazy if he went around saying "I'm white!"

Unfortunately how society sees you has a lot to do with it. I think that a lot of times bi-racial people have more than one image of themselves. How they see themselves racially/culturally and how society see them. It's naive to say that doesn't matter.

MommaBrown · November 2008

breezey, seriously every time i see your boy, all i can think is that he is going to be a little heartbreaker! he has the sweetest face!

breezey2323 · November 2008

jamienichole:
MommaBrown:

i cant speak with any great authority because i'm about as white as they come. but maybe you could focus on taking pride in the heritage of each race rather than focusing on which side he should be on. then your son will just be himself and not his color.

She isn't focusing on what side he should be on, she's wondering if he will identify himself with one race more than the other. I'm sure she plans on teaching him both sides of his race as would most parents of biracial children.

How do you teach someone their race?

MommaBrown · November 2008

breezey2323:
jamienichole:
MommaBrown:

i cant speak with any great authority because i'm about as white as they come. but maybe you could focus on taking pride in the heritage of each race rather than focusing on which side he should be on. then your son will just be himself and not his color.
?
She isn't focusing on what side he should be on, she's wondering if he will identify himself with one race more than the other.? I'm sure she plans on teaching him both sides of his race as would most parents of biracial children.?
How do you teach someone their race?

is that for me or the other poster??

breezey2323 · November 2008

MommaBrown:
breezey, seriously every time i see your boy, all i can think is that he is going to be a little heartbreaker! he has the sweetest face!

Aww! thanks!

MommaBrown · November 2008

breezey2323:
jamienichole:
MommaBrown:

i cant speak with any great authority because i'm about as white as they come. but maybe you could focus on taking pride in the heritage of each race rather than focusing on which side he should be on. then your son will just be himself and not his color.
?
She isn't focusing on what side he should be on, she's wondering if he will identify himself with one race more than the other.? I'm sure she plans on teaching him both sides of his race as would most parents of biracial children.?
How do you teach someone their race?

is that for me or the other poster??

breezey2323 · November 2008

MommaBrown:
breezey2323:
jamienichole:
MommaBrown:

i cant speak with any great authority because i'm about as white as they come. but maybe you could focus on taking pride in the heritage of each race rather than focusing on which side he should be on. then your son will just be himself and not his color.

She isn't focusing on what side he should be on, she's wondering if he will identify himself with one race more than the other. I'm sure she plans on teaching him both sides of his race as would most parents of biracial children.

How do you teach someone their race?

is that for me or the other poster?

Opps the other poster. Damn this quoting tool. I'm just going crazy with it.

jamienichole · November 2008

breezey2323:
jamienichole:
MommaBrown:

i cant speak with any great authority because i'm about as white as they come. but maybe you could focus on taking pride in the heritage of each race rather than focusing on which side he should be on. then your son will just be himself and not his color.

She isn't focusing on what side he should be on, she's wondering if he will identify himself with one race more than the other. I'm sure she plans on teaching him both sides of his race as would most parents of biracial children.

How do you teach someone their race?

my bad....both sides of their culture/heritage

MommaBrown · November 2008

breezey, me too. it posted that twice. I wasn't being pushy, the Nest was!

breezey2323 · November 2008

My son is bi-racial. Chances are he will call himself black. I'm sure that when asked he will say that his mom is white and my dad is black but to most people that will be secondary knowledge.

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