[mmcool]

I've been thinking this question over since you asked it, hoping that I would come up with some wonderful plan for how I will teach my daughter about racism. But, in truth, I don't think it is as simple as that.

How do you "teach" about something that is so illogical and can strike from literally anywhere (even from those you trust)? How do you prepare a person for the emotions that accompany it, both from the victim and the offender?

Sure, my husband and I will do what we can to explain the concept to her (hopefully before it happens), but there doesn't seem to be a way to really prepare her because she is her own person. How she reacts to racism and how she processes it will be unique to her. I do hope that DH's first-hand experience with the discrimination he has faced because of his hearing loss will help somewhat with knowing that she is not alone in experiencing this.

The best thing we can do is to impress upon her that we will be there to help her through it and try to use those ugly episodes to make her a stronger, better person.

Melissa