Does it matter?

I never really thought that I would blog about this, because to me the subject does not matter. But, in this world it has always been an issue with a lot of people. Maybe it is because the Mama Bear in me has come out wondering how you ever deal with it in the correct way, because everyone is entitled to there own opinion. So I will start from the beginning, 17 years ago.....

When the opportunity came knocking for us to adopt a bi-racial baby, we were so excited. Happy beyond measure. Heavenly Father had finally answered our prayers! Doug and I didn't care what color she was, we knew that she came straight from Heaven.  The only concern that we had was, will she be accepted in the area that is mainly white. We knew we would do whatever we needed to, and always be there for her.

The ugly card of racists didn't show its face until kindergarten. She came home asking why she could not marry any one she wanted? I was like "What"? well someone had told her she had to marry someone like her, that was brown and her kind. So just for the record, Michaela is lucky because she has 3 races in her, black, white, hispanic. After that, she wanted a brown baby for Christmas, which she got. For the most part, she has handled things or comments like a champ, and it doesn't really bother her anymore.

A few years go by, and we have a great opportunity to adopt a beautiful baby boy from the Marshall Islands. We are happy beyond measure again!!!! This little boy browns right up in the summer, and never wants sunscreen cause he don't burn, he just goes browner according to him. He has never really spent the time worrying or wondering about his color. He has always just been too busy with other things like playing with balls, trucks, bikes all things boys love.

That changed when Dalton started middle school. At the end of 7th grade, Dalton acted up cause a kid kept picking on him. A few kids, helped him out cause it made him cry and feel bad. They wouldn't let him go to Lava. We let it go cause it was right at the end of school.

So 8th grade starts, and he has loved it until about the last month again. This time, two different kids are bulling and having extreme racial remarks to Dalton. Dalton hit the one kid, and he came back at him and Dalton got a goose bump and scrap on his head and a bloody nose. No one seemed to know about it. Dalton did not want me to call, cause he would get in trouble too. I tried, but kept getting and answer machine. So, I let it go!! A week later, got a call from Dalton that he was in trouble for writting on the teachers desk. What? Well he wanted to get this kid in trouble. Great, right???Well, they said no Lava again.  Anyway, Dalton should not have done that, but the kid came up to him after laughing, "ha,ha I just lied my way through that". We had a good talk and they did let Dalton go to Lava.

I guess to make this story end, how do you change racial behavior? I believe kids learn it from there parents, the TV and just society. I hope that this next year will be better, I think Dalton has lashed out a few times from the names that he has been called. It is sad to me because, we are all children of God. So, does it matter the color of our skin? The answer is no!!!! They both can look at me with their big brown eyes and my heart just melts. These trials, will make them stronger, better people. They will rise about the negative things and really shine!!!