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Originally Posted by shelbydog
I am sorry you had to go through that....but how old was the little girl? A 3 or 4 year old may very well say something like that and mean it truly literally, and truly wonder if she hasn't seen very many diverse families. My son is 3 and has asked me why Mia is brown or why people are black. I of course correct him and guide him as to what is the right thing to say or ask, what is polite vs. rude, but he is only 3 and says things literally. He quotes what he sees and it is completely innocent. The parent absolutely should have stepped in and apologized on her behalf, but I disagree that she was repeating something she heard. Depending on the age, kids ask why alot. My son probably asks "why" 50-100 times a day, seriously! There will come a time when you will be mortified at what your kids say....they just say it. Whether they see someone who is larger than them, tall, short...they make comments innocently and it's our job to correct them. Shame on the Mom for leaving!! But depending on the age of the child, the child may not have been racist. Hope that makes sense.
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I agree. I think kids generally just say what pops into their heads, often without knowing that what they're saying is inappropriate. Things like, "Why is that lady fat?" Or, "How come that man can't walk?" It also seems to me that the child wasn't necessarily being "racist" because she noticed that you and your daughter are of different races. Although the fact that she was screaming at you, and continued to scream at you while you were walking away sounds like she was trying to get a rise out of you. Good for you for not taking the bait!
I also agree that it was totally up to the child's Mom to intervene and give an explanation such as that suggested by Heidil87 -- that not all children look like their mommies. Too bad that she wasn't up to the task.