It’s 2018

It was my niece’s third birthday party today. there were a handful of toddlers, older girls that were my daughter’s age and family and friends. It was a cute party and it made me think back to K’s when she was little.

My BIL and SIL are the type to shelter their kids a bit. I mean, we all have our own style but they can just be… silly. Today, the birthday girl was opening her presents and BIL mentioned that she wanted to buy a black baby doll or barbie doll. I’m not sure which. He wasn’t sure if that was okay or not and I just looked at him in disbelief. It’s 2018 and there are so many things to be open minded about. She ended getting a black baby doll and he laughed and said she got it and some other stuff. It didn’t sound good.

Their daughter is going into middle school next year and knows a lot more than they realize. She is a bit more sheltered than my daughter but we’re talking completely different lives. At three, mine was obsessed with Edward Cullen and well on her way to regularly attending concerts. I adjusted to the fact that she would hear certain words and other things and dealt with it as needed. Once she went to elementary school, I knew that she was going to hear a ton of new stuff. I chose to be open with her and talk about things. It isn’t always comfortable for me but we have a great relationship now. I want her to understand how many different people are out there, all about mental illness and the help that is available. We talk about the little things in her life because I know it is important to her. I didn’t have that with my mom.

I think they’ll be surprised someday.