Color Blind

Pretty much every night we have the same bedtime routine. I tuck my princess into bed and spend a little time snuggling. We start off with our bedtime prayers. Soon after, she begins to ramble on about... well just about anything. I'm pretty sure it's her effort to keep me there longer. When we've had enough time, I quiet her down and sing a few lullabies to her, with the last one always being "You are My Sunshine".

About a week ago, we were going through her bedtime routine. She was talking about crushes. She has a crush on a boy from her old school. I laughed and I told her about my first Kindergarten crush. She was also talking about a boy in her new class, that I seem to think she may also have a little crush on.

Apparently this boy from her class was talking with my princess. Princess asked him about being married one day. He responded, "My mom said I can only marry a white girl.". A disheartened princess said to me, "Mom, that must mean that I have to marry someone who is brown". (Enter wistful sigh here). I responded with as much love and confidence as I could, "Sweetie, someday you will marry someone who treats you like a princess, like you deserve, for I couldn't part with you to anyone who could treat you less than that."

Color. It never seemed to enter my world before. I never had to give it much thought. I just have a hard time believing that people are still so upset about color. I couldn't believe that a parent would tell their child that they can only marry people like themselves. It was crazy to think that in the same week that we were all celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday that this comment would even be uttered!  It was his dream for everyone to be treated like equals.

The realization hit me, that I will be forever dealing with color now. My princess is constantly concerned about her color. She waltzes into the bathroom and stares at herself before saying to me, "I'm lighter than my brother and sister". She often will go into a room and say things like "those people are all like you and us three (meaning her and her siblings) are different".  She is preoccupied with color and I see why. Other people around her seem to be. It's just that I seem to be colored blind. I only see love.

I don't know what it will take to change this world we live in. I know my children have opened my eyes to the racism that still exists in the world and even right here in Waukesha, WI. I hope for them that the world keeps evolving, because I can assure you of this: Their hearts are full of love and dreams and beautiful things, just like every other child.