"I'm Not Going To Spend My Life Being A Color."

Cealy and I were reading one of her library books yesterday.  I started getting a couple 'educational' books.  We were reading a book about opposites.

I was reading away, when I stopped.  "Mommy, read it."  I couldn't.  The book had a black character on one side and a white on the other.  Opposites?  I didn't want to read it.  I wanted to skip it.  But Cealy will catch you if you're sneaky.

I don't want Cealy to be "colorblind."  I understand those repercussions.  I want her to embrace differences when she sees them.  I want all my children to seek out differences and want them to be on their team.  I don't want them to think anyone is opposite from them, because deep down we all have pain, love, joys, and dreams.

I just could not read to Cealy that this author she loved so much says black and white are opposites.  And I guess when you dig into the color wheel, they are on opposite sides.  Cealy knows her brothers are black.  They are framed right next to her bed, and she hugs them every.night.  I don't want her to think her brothers are opposite of her. 

I had to think about it, and then I brought the book back to her.  And so it begins.  "Cealy, this says, black and white are opposites.  Just like a zebra's stripes.  They are opposite colors."  Now she was off to play, she is 3.  But I needed her to understand more.  Because at 3, she could still make someone feel as if they did not belong.  "Our world is filled with amazing differences.  Some people have short hair, red hair, even blue hair, and some people have no hair.  Some people are brown, white, or black.  We all really have different shades.  Aunt Keke is much darker than mommy.  Some people have one mommy and some people have two!"

"Okay, Mommy." 

I don't know what that okay meant.  But she heard me.  She hugged her brother's picture the same before bed.  I will continue to talk about differences to Ceal, and make sure she sees that as beautiful, because that is my job.  I will educate my sons and make sure they know the world around them.  Being black is different than being white.  But we are not opposites.

I just went to my computer, and turned on one of my favorite M.Jackson classics, and sang, "I'm not going to spend my life being a color."