Nobody's born a bigot.
But it sure sets in quick.
Isaac has been telling tales for some time - there was the girl who said he was adopted because he doesn't look like his mom. Innocent mistake, I thought, and explained to him what it meant to be adopted, and that it's not a bad thing, and why the girl might have thought he was adopted.
Then a girl told him that "Bangladeshi people stink." A tad more offensive, but easy to laugh at. Yes, some Bangladeshi people do stink, but so do some Americans. And I bet that little girl would stink after a day in 104 degree weather! Ha ha, he he.
But yesterday he came home with another story. It seems his buddy "D." said some horrible things, most notably, "I wish Bangladesh would get bombed." Isaac took that one hard. I asked him why he thought D. said it, and Isaac said that the other kids don't like to hear about Bangladesh. I managed to keep my voice calm and come up with some soothing words, but in my mind I was thinking, "Next time I see that little asshole I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!!" Then, my jewel of a child says, "Mom, I have an idea. When Baba comes to visit, why don't you both come to my class and talk about Bangladesh? Then the other kids will learn about it, and maybe they'll understand and not be mean."
Oh I love him! I've worried about the whole race thing for a long time - even before I married Masud, actually. Being mixed race is tough, or so I've read. But I think he's got the strength to handle it, and I'm starting to chill out a little. And maybe these trials will help him to become a great diplomat, and he'll grow up to solve the Middle East crisis or something. You never know.
6 comments:
What a great kid! Pat yourself on the back for raising such a wonderful, intelligent child!!!!
Yeah being different is tough. Kinda why a lot of my friends are planning to move back to India once they wanna have kids.
OTOH Isaac is a very smart kid and you and Masud are great parents, so I'm sure you all will be fine.
If my students were half as wise as Isaac my job would be a lot easier. Tell that kid I think he rules.
You have a wonderful Son and you seem to be strong to handle such issues very well. I am in the same situation with mixed kids and I am not so sure what I would do in such tough situations. I do plan on going back to BD though not so much because of possible issues like these because our kids are too little still but I always had a plan to go back.
Yeah, that Isaac, he's a pistol! (The apple doesn't fall far from the tree . . .)
And that little girl isn't very observant -- he DOES SO look like his mom!
OMG! I actually cried when I read this. Of course I think about these things all the time too, look what i'm studying. It is nice to know that other parents are raising smart, socially responsible little people to counteract (and squash)all the entitled, self indulgent individuals we seem to have in spades...
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