Racism

When my daughter cautioned me against using “black face” – I was stunned. I don’t know how I have failed to come to a place to where my own daughter would consider that I would even think about that. I was deeply offended by my own daughter and also this makes me want to consider where she got this idea. My own parents were extremely progressive for their time, and as a child, I was not aware of the different “place” that race should assume, although I was still aware of the different roles between men and women.

In that vein of tradition, I always considered it important to respect “our elders” – meaning those in the generation above us. So, against all of my beliefs, I tolerated very racist remarks and complaints about their lives from my in-laws over the years. I was going with the just-be-quiet-and-ignore-it strategy. Well, that has not apparently done a proper job of parenting to my now grown children.

I did shut my mother-in-law’s mouth twice over the years over this issue when she was being her regular self and I was having a bad day.

Ugg! I now feel it my proper job as an adult parent of adults to tell those adult children of ours how I really feel/believe! I think we sometimes assume in families that we all understand each other, but I am learning that that is not true based on my current experience.