I have been thinking about other blogs to start because I am trying to make a living by being a freelance writer (at least until God tells me otherwise!) And one of the things I read was that you should have about 3-4 blogs that are "pointed interest" blogs, meaning someone is likely to search specifically for that topic.
Some examples I thought of were:
A Psalm a Day
Divorce by Pinterest
World's Worst Sermon Analogies
Jacob was quick to dismiss this one. He said it was too negative, and I'd run out of ideas too quickly . . . he's probably right on both accounts. But seriously, I heard one the other day about the benefits of God over alcohol. The preacher said, "You'll never have to sleep off the benefits of God."
But yeah. Probably not sustainable blog material.
My last idea was to blog about being a white family raising black children. That was something I have actually googled before, and couldn't find much. It's scary sometimes. We don't want to harm them more than they have already been harmed in their lives.
And people say horrible things sometimes.
Stupid things.
Things like, "Do you think they'll grow up to resent you for not raising them in a black family?"
True story.
Or "Do you ever wonder if love really is enough? You're cheating them out of their heritage."
Also true. Actually said to me.
So I was googling to see if there were any blogs about this topic of White Families Raising Black Children but I didn't find any. I did find this rant about white people not knowing how to take care of ethnic hair. (I TOLD y'all that people judge you if you are not good with hair!) HA!
And then, yesterday, I was at Walmart, and there was this guy who was staring a hole through me. I try not to ever jump to conclusions if people are staring. There could be any number of reasons why people are staring. The girls are twins. They are toddlers. I'm old. I'm white. I try not to jump to conclusions. Most of the time, the people are just trying to do the math.
But this guy, I could tell he was not going to be nice. And sure enough, when I went to get a drink out of the cooler he whispered, "Why in the world would she even WANT to have two black children?" I hate it when *!#! like that happens. Because I really don't know how to respond. Usually, I just ignore them. (Which I did this time)
But it did make me think maybe that would be a good "pointed interest" blog. Because people are ignorant sometimes. And mean sometimes. And sometimes I need some help. And I'll bet other people out there need help too!
All that to say, I'm exploring options. If you have any good blog ideas, let me know!
Maybe you could have a blog called "All Things Considered, I'd Rather be ________" and you could blog about whatever you fill in the blank with. - RJ
ReplyDeleteMy MIL told me one time people used to give her grief for not raising her kids "black" enough. She would tell them she wasn't trying to raise "black" kids but kids who loved Jesus.
ReplyDeletePeople are stupid. Maybe that should be the title of one of your blogs. You definitely wouldn't run out of material :).
Bahaha! Courtney I love you!
ReplyDeleteHaha... I second the "People are stupid" blog idea.
ReplyDeleteThe next time someone like mean man says something that obnoxious, just look at them quizzically and say, "Did you not see Sandra Bullock in 'The Blind Side'?"
So sorry!!!
~bj
I'm with courtney. :)
ReplyDeleteCarol- A former acquaintance of mine from
ReplyDeleteSoCal is a "professional" (?!?!) blogger and she
Adopted two black boys. She also has two bio. daughters with her hubs. Anyways her blog is awesome. Rage Against The Minivan (rageagainsttheminivan.com) I think she discusses the parenting of black kiddos by white
Parents. Anyways, it's a great blog and she's
Hilarious and cool! Yeah!
Yes please. I totally get that all the time! Same exact situations. I've googles white families raising black kids many times, searched for books on the subject- it is sorely under represented. Especially for the sheer amount of families out there that really are facing this everyday. I think you should call it color blind or love without boundaries or something like that.
ReplyDeleteI've even had to be careful with where I drop off my son because sometimes people won't give him back to me thinking, "uh, you can't be the parent" then they just think maybe the dad is black and are okay with it. Until they see both of us with our other 2 white kids and then they're really confused.
Thanks Jana! I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteAlicia, I agree that with the sheer number of biracial families out there, it is crazy the response, as well as crazy the lack of good reading resources!
I am so annoyed by the assumption that kids will resent their parents for not teaching them about their heritage. Really people? How many of you have learned in depth about what it was like to be ____ back in the old country?
ReplyDeleteMy parents taught me nothing about my English and German heritage. Nothing. Not one tiny thing. And how much did I learn about my Irish heritage? (I'm 75% Irish so maybe there is a need there one might assume- but I don't) I know three of my grandparents were born in Ireland. I know it rains a lot there and I know the difference between a clover and a shamrock. I know four leaf clovers are NOT Irish and I know it is an insult to wear orange on St. Patricks Day. That's the sum total of my knowledge of my Irish heritage that I learned from my family. Anything else I know I learned because I read about it. Am I devastated that my cultural heritage was lost... um no. I am an American. I love my family. My family loves me.
That said, many adoptive families bend over backwards to teach their child(ren) about their birth heritage. Typically it is those whose children were born in a different country though. If they feel led to do this then there is a purpose for it and that is great. If they don't I really do not think their child(ren) will suffer a bit.
Samuel is half Mexican. He will definitely have great exposure to Mexican food because it is hands down our favorite food. I am interested in learning about different cultures so it wouldn't be unusual for him to learn about the Mexican culture... along with several others. The other biological half of Samuel is unknown because his birth mom was adopted as well. Does this mean his life will lose one ounce of its richness... no, that is silly.
Bottom line is children need love. Children who receive love from people who love Jesus are blessed. Race should never enter into the equation.