when to discuss race with your child

[RAMd®d]

I would not call that an incident.

It would have been an incident if somebody overheard your daughter and took umbrage to the remark. On that note, Racer makes a good point- in that context, there's no reason to construe the remark as anything other than one child's observation.

For various reasons, most being rationalizations rather than reasons, mankind attaches importance, cachet, value, etc., to one's own race, and most often assigns baggage to others.

Maybe around Stardate 122000, we'll get it sorted. But I have no hope for the near or somewhat distant future.

[bazookaman]

well I just don't want to offend anyone and the selfish side of me doesn't want people thinking we are doing a poor job of raising our daughter. Thanks everyone for the comments. Very helpful.

[Black]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_%28cla..._beings%29

I'm gonna take George W. Gill's side here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Gill

I don't see the great horror in there being biological distinctions between different human races, i.e. I don't see why recognizing that there are differences dooms us to eternal discord.

[Article Accelerator]

bazookaman wrote:
Our girl is 30 months old and we never really discussed race with her...

Well, you should. She could teach you a lot.

(What Mike Sellers, iaJim, mikebw, and dohc76 said.)

[voodoopenguin]

Not an "incident", don't worry...

...yet.

Paul

[graylocks]

bazookaman wrote:
well I just don't want to offend anyone and the selfish side of me doesn't want people thinking we are doing a poor job of raising our daughter. Thanks everyone for the comments. Very helpful.

bazookaman, you're doing great! at 30 months i might have slightly enlarged the teachable moment with something along the lines of "yes, her skin is black. isn't it pretty? skin comes in lots of different colors, you know." unless she seemed like she wanted to know more, i would have left the moment at that. as a society, i want us to notice and appreciate our differences. they are cause for celebration, not discrimination.

[Speedy]

Teach by example.