We were waiting in line at Target to return a sweater for Sage that did not fit (where can I get sweaters for him that aren't $30?!) behind an African American woman with dread locks. Sage exclaims loudly "Mommy, she has fake hair and we have real hair!" Umm. I explained that she has dread locks in her hair, it isn't fake, just different than our hair. I talked in a normal voice, I didn't lower my voice like I was embarrassed.
Honestly, I kind of was. It's not that he isn't around people that are different from us. In fact, at Sunday school, he is the only white child there.
I guess he just hasn't noticed dread locks before!
Later, I thought I should have thrown out that I really like dread locks. Would that have seemed cheesy? I really do, I have always wished I could have dread locks so I wouldn't have to wash and dry my hair everyday!
You did the right thing, but you certainly could have gone a bit further. That's a great time to educate your child, and when you're doing it in such a positive way, it compliments that person.
ReplyDelete"Those are called dreads, and it's actually some of the coolest hair ANYWHERE. You know why? (child looks at you in wonderment) That is the most natural way that hair grows. People have been wearing their hair like that since the beginning of time. See how amazing the locks are - like beautiful ropes. M'am, may I ask how long you've been wearing your dreads?" Then tell her how amazing they look.
What a compliment to a person to show that you are raising a human to be loving, caring, interested and open.
Introduce yourself and you all might have a new friend!