The BABY! It's BLACK!

[Skittles]

Some time ago a coworker Cynthia, 50ish, conservative long-time married, was all bent out of shape that her daughter who had just started college was pregnant out of wedlock. I talked to Cynthia and told her she needed to get over it, what’s done is done, etc., all you can do is support your child. A few days later she was visibly distraught at work after taking a phone call. When I asked what was wrong, she pulled me into an empty cube and hissed, “IT’S BLACK!” “What’s black?”, I asked. “The BABY! It’s BLACK!”. OKAAAAAAAY I responded…….SO? Well what are people going to think she wailed, what are my FRIENDS going to think? I told her, well, that’s easy – your bigoted friends won’t approve and your real friends will stand by you. Quite a nice test, actually. Terribly upset she went on about how her husband (engineer and church elder) and the grandparents would take it and blah blah blah. CYNTHIA I said, please, just do what you need to do and I guarantee you when that baby is born it will have you, your husband and anyone around completely wrapped, and you’ll be wondering why you ever felt this way.

Fast forward to the present – Cynthia is your stereotypical proud new grandmother with the multiple pictures, endless stories, etc. Gawd the baby girl is so freaking cute. Earlier she said her husband was driving to bring the baby to show her to us but he had to stop by work so “it will be about an hour”. LOL – I told her, more like at least three hours, picturing that baby with a bunch of engineers. Yeah, he showed up with the baby almost four hours later, proud as all fuck.

Aw I am soooo good with my predictions. 

[mzteris]

1. Good for you!

And now them. One day - hopefully soon - no one will give a rats ass about color.

[Terra Alta]

2. it's awesome that she shed her racist attitute

and accepted her biracial grandchild.

Unfortunately I know several people who would NOT accept such a grandchild... such as my uncle who refers to today as n***** day and thinks whites should have a national holiday. :( I shrudder to think of what he would do if 10 years from now my cousin ended up pregnant by a black man.. it's sad people still feel this way this day and age. :(

[marzipanni]

3. As my brother always says, it's healthy for the human race to mix the genes!

I'm glad the baby melted their hearts.

When I was in junior high school in the early '60s our neighbors had a girl my age move in with their family because she, her mother and younger brothers had moved from Haiti to get away from the Duvalier regime and they could only afford a small apartment. Unfortunately her father was not able to leave Haiti.
We became friends, and I thought it must be difficult for her because there were only a couple of black kids in our school. When we were seniors in high school a friend of ours went to college nearby and introduced our friend to a young, rather militant, "black power' guy from the college. They were not on the same wave length, didn't have much in common except their skin color.
We graduated and she started college in Boston. I called her after a week or two and asked how she liked college so far, then how she liked her room mate.
She replied, "She's nice. Her parents visited last weekend and brought some curtains and bedspreads for us."
"What color are they?" ...there was no answer for a few seconds, then she said in a quiet voice,
"I don't think that really matters".
Ohh, no! I realized what she had thought, and said, "Well, I just wondered, are they plaid, or flowered , or striped? Then she burst out laughing and we laughed. I felt kind of bad that she thought it would even occur to me to ask what color people are.

[trof]

8. Great story.

[Mopar151]

4. Hybrid vigor! The bigger the gene pool the better.

And the old family recipies & foods interbreed, too, with great success.

[Drunken Irishman]

5. I'd be horrified.

If the baby were orange.

[rug]

6. My baby's skin is orange!

http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bnutrition/0,,3q49,00.html

[Arugula Latte]

9. Boehner's love child!

:o

[old mark]

7. Skittles, my sister's husband is Tex-Mex, and a great guy, too. My dad

was moaning about having "colored" grandkids, and saying, "well, at least he's catholic".... They have never had any kids of any color, but my brother who married a blond from Alabama, adopted twin girls from Manila. And my Mexican BIL isn't catholic after all.My dad now lives near my sister and BIL in Texas, and spends a lot of time at their house. He is still not happy with me because my wife of nearly 17 years is jewish. But he never liked me much anyway.



mark

[pink-o]

10. My friend's bi-racial pregnancy elicited a similar response from peripheral family members

y'know....things like: "What will be his identity?" "How will he fit in?" "Who will he have as his role model"??

Like...maybe the President of the United States?

This "baby" is now 16 years old, a kind, compassionate, bright and caring young man. Although, to be honest, his "role models" are Paul McCartney and Sting (he plays bass) more than Barack Obama. He's well aware of the racism that exists in this country, but he's also secure and balanced enough not to let it get in the way of his having fun.

Honestly, people might identify with their culture, but underneath it all we're exactly the same, with the same fears, desires and aspirations. We all want to be loved. We all want to feel joy. We all want to matter to someone, and to leave a legacy of who we are. Our ethnicity is just a starting point; at some point we have to advance beyond it.

[OhioChick]

11. You're quite the psychic, Skittles

;)

I'll bet the baby is adorable.

[Bertha Venation]

12. Good advice, obviously heeded. Well done, Skittles.

:yourock:

[madinmaryland]

13. And to think, Skittles, you did not have to kick her ass! Maybe you will

realize that violence does not solve everything.

Yes Indeed!!

:D

[hippywife]

14. Now that was one

great verbal ass kickin' you gave her, Skittles. It's fabulous that story has such a fabulously happy ending.

You totally rock! :D