It's beginning to look a lot like racism

Ahhhh, springtime. Can you smell the bigotry in the air?

Okay, maybe it's just me.

Seems to be popping up a lot lately with some transracial families. Rachel has found herself facing some racial issues lately. Leslie ... well, I'm pretty sure she'll be selling "I AM their real Mom!" t-shirts before too long. I do expect a discount for the free advertising, Les! *wink*

I thought it was interesting that two of my favorite blog reads were both dealing with this stuff at the same time (you see, transracial families deal with it ALL the time, but we usually spread out when it hits a pinnacle and we feel the need to pluck out our hairs one at a time).

So, what makes it even more interesting for me? I sat down at Wednesday night Bible Study this week - which I just love because it's chock full of senior adults. One of them - we'll call her Miss L - is a hoot. She's the cool kid among the more elderly crowd. When she shows up, her posse is there right along with her. If she's not there, at least four other women stay home too. She is the leader of the popular chics over 80.

She's also sharp as a tack, and very out spoken. I take her with an entire box of Mortion's salt, because she has been on this earth a really, really, really long time and her ideas have been shaped by actual history - ya' know - cause she was THERE!

We're sitting there, and she makes a comment about my nose stud to one of the lesser popular "kids" in the group. I quip, "Miss L is just jealous, because she wants one. Thinks it would go great with her tattoo." Roars of laughter from the posse. Then ...

"Christine, those kids of yours ... I don't know how you do it."

"Oh, Miss L, God gives you what you need to be a parent."

"No, I mean how do you pick 'em so pretty? They're all just so beautiful!"

Note to self: she's talking about the black ones.

"They are all gorgeous, aren't they?"

Giving her the chance to opt out of the direction in which she is going, because I know this lady. I know where it's going. Bless her heart! But it's coming. Oh Lord, it's coming ...

"Well, aren't they the exception to their race in general?"

Oooooohhh, heavenly hooch! The posse, all of whom were kicking around well before MLK was speaking out, were all looking at me with just as much anticipation. They're seriously wondering how I got the only three pretty ones - ya' know - out of all of those other scruffy lookin' colored people.

And it's a moment where I choose humor. These women really are kind. They really do have love. They also don't have the tiniest clue that what they just said was in no way appropriate! In their eyes, this was perfectly acceptable conversation around the table at Wednesday night Bible Study. So, I giggled and said ...

"Now, Miss L - I've yet to meet any child that isn't beautiful! Maybe they all just get better looking the more time they spend with me. Perhaps you all need to be hanging out with me a lot more often!"

Roars of laughter from the posse.

Note to readers: this is the same lady that saw me with all five kids at the park the week before and told me how worried she was about me ... five kids ... homeschooling ... "just like that lady that drowned all of her kids down in Texas!"

"You are so kind to be concerned. However, that lady was dealing with some severe post pardum psychosis."

"Well, YEAH, because she had five kids and was stuck at home with them all day!!"

Sometimes you have to make a joke. Sometimes you have to take the time to correct in love an do some educating. Sometimes you have to just say, "Oh, here comes a big dog. You and your little chihuahuas better get out of here! RUN!!"