Before I move on from the topic of the last few posts, I do want to clarify that I don’t think what B said to my son was racist, or that it means his parents are prejudiced in any way. I mean, he’s four. He could have just as easily said, “I don’t like your shoes” and B’s father was probably right that he didn’t mean anything by using skin color, other than to be mean, which all kids will do at some point or another, even my precious little angels. As adults, we know that race is a far more sensitive topic than shoe choice, but I don’t think that the little kids are necessarily aware of that.
Speaking of shoes (how’s that for a segue?), the boy can tie his own shoes now!! He desperately wanted a pair of lace up shoes, and we got him a pair of Converse. He started doing the lacing work at school and can now tie his own shoes–yay, Montessori! Here’s a short video–he’s so proud of himself.
You may have noticed that in the video he is wearing a three piece suit.
He LOVES this suit. He wears it as often as possible, which is usually about twice a week, since we can’t do laundry much quicker than that. He first started wearing suits last year, when he finally fit into a size 3T suit that my parents had purchased for him ages ago. He wore that until it was in tatters, and my parents just bought him this new one, which he wears constantly unless it’s in the wash. Whenever we’re in public, I feel compelled to tell others that he dresses himself this way and I do not force the kid to wear a suit.
Places to wear a suit you might not think of–
On the playground:
Riding a bicycle:
Climbing:
Or just going to school:
He’s my own little Alex P. Keaton.
fretzes on the loose 
Segway? Love the suit! My mother used to explain to people that I preferred to wear dresses and refused jeans-still do on the latter, but John’s bushwhacking style has cured me of dresses on the hiking trail ; )
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So annoyed I misspelled something. grr.
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It’s so funny because I just read your posts about what happened at school and was wondering how I would discuss race/skin color with my kiddos. Then, my boy announces today, at a busy museum no less, that he is not from India but from America and Americans have white skin not brown. Sheesh. It’s going around!
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Wow! I think it just must be the age when kids are starting to become aware of this and questioning it. What a perfect opportunity to start the discussion.
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He is absolutely adorable. And stylish. Stylishly adorable!
Thanks for your clarification – I don’t hold any judgement over what you are saying (and I hope my comments don’t imply that), but you sure do provide some great food for thought. Commenting out loud helps me process my own relationship with my kids, as a mom – in this cruel, cold, wonderful world.
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