Sunday, January 20, 2019

Isaac, I know those kids are fast. You are not going to be able to out-swim them. We need a new strategy - pulling yourself along the lane-line was probably not a good approach. Also, you got DQ'd from the event. (Although I still resent the ref for that and it took a lot of restraint on my part not to push him into the pool - I hate the yellow pad ...).

This time, when you get up on the block, look to your left and then look to your right. Yell "S-H-A-A-A-A-A-R-K!!!" That might buy you a few seconds :)

Black hair - just one of 10 reasons why sandboxes should be illegal in the United States

The sun is coming out, the tarps have come off and I, once again, renew my campaign against the Sand box. I hate the Sand box. I believe they are disgusting, dangerous and also a pain in my ass.

10 Reasons Why Sandboxes Should Be Illegal in the United States


 10.  My daughter is African American.  I don't wash her hair very often.
9.  "Kulani, did you eat that sand?"  "Mmm hmm. Yes."
8.  When the shoes go back on, the sand goes into the shoes.  The shoes then become unwearable and must be replaced.
7.  I have a car.
6.  I have a home.
5.  I have a car and a home.
4.  Sand is very often mixed with water, producing a sort of magic elixir irresistible to children and nearly impossible to remove from, well, anything.
3.  I am allergic to the magic elixir and prone to anaphylactic shock.
2.  I have three children.
1.  Two words.  Outdoor.  Litterbox.



Growing up black in a white family (MLK Day)

I don't remember this from public school, but they do a great job with MLK Day at Kulani's Jewish day school. They study the holiday all week. Each grade studies differently (and age appropriately), sometimes performing for the whole school with a skit or a play. The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is celebrated by study of his commitment to effect justice through peaceful means. And the study is explored through every student in every single grade at this school.  I appreciate that.

As a family, we talk about racism, but we tread pretty gently on the subject. Like sexism and antisemitism, we've always kept it positive and tried to impart upon Kulani a pride in her heritage. To be fair, the positive messaging is age appropriate for our daughter. Kulani is seven and not ready for some of the really heavy stuff. We also teach Kulani that the chance to overcome a challenge is one of life's greatest gifts. 

We forgot to tell Kulani that MLK died. Or that he was shot with a gun.

In first grade, they covered that important information. Kulani freaked out at school and had to sit with Jake, the classroom sensory stuffy snake.  The teachers handled it very well and reached out to us immediately.

They asked us how much and what Kulani knows about black history, MLK and the treatment of African Americans in this country. That wasn't the problem for Kulani, of course. It was the gun. But since last week, I have been thinking about the situation. As a family, we have spent a lot of time building Kulani's confidence and pride in being African American. She felt terrified sitting there alone with 20 white kids and two white teachers in the class only to find out, maybe for the first time, that it is dangerous to be black in America. 

I got back to the teachers right away and we worked out a plan. Well us, and Jake the sensory snake. At least for now Kulani feels safe, comfortable and she has agreed to go back to school. 

The truth is that racism is something that is and will always be at arm's length for us as a white family. Something we really only understand through other people, and maybe through books and movies. In the end, we are a white family raising a black child. Kulani is alone. She is alone at the Jewish school and she is alone at home. We are doing the best we can, but I wonder if, how and when we should expand her horizons (and ours).








Thursday, May 25, 2017

First racial awareness of a preschooler


We have racial awareness. The one on the left is Daddy. The one in the middle is me and the one on the right is Mommie (I am not actually black but Kulene says we are "stisters") :)

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Sub Zero refrigerator

De-friga-feated

$12K? Are you freaking kidding me? For that kind of money, I expect the thing to strap me in and drive me to work.

We are finally pulling the plug. It's over.

The appliance repair guy, who once seemed very sexy, declared it brain dead three years ago and has given up. He has been useless ever since. My husband, on the other hand, has been resuscitating the refrigerator for three years at this point. Btw, the sex appeal of my husband has risen immeasurably since that time. (What can I say? I'm shallow.)

At this point, though, the refrigerator is 14 - how old is that in refrigerator years? I don't know, but for the last few months, it's been touch and go. We don't know if we are going to wake up to a tray of fresh ice cubes or a pool of water on the kitchen floor. Neither one of us is sleeping at night. We have trust issues.

So there you have it. The good news is that we are getting a new refrigerator. You can come over to our house and eat and you probably won't get food poisoning. The bad news is we might not be able to afford to feed you...

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Congolese children adopted in Italy



I'll say it again. International adoption is not a solution for the crisis of poverty in Africa. But for these 41 children, now with their families, it is the best possible thing.



(ANSA) - Rome, June 1 - A group of 41 Congolese children who were adopted three years ago by Italian couples flew in to Rome's Fiumicino Airport at dawn on Wednesday, a committee of adoptive parents said.