Just So You Know....

Talking badly about a people group (race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, country of origin, etc.) whether you are in front of them or not is not okay. Making stereotypical statements about a people group is also not okay. Saying negative things about a people group in front of the parents of a child in that people group is definitely not okay. And then exclaiming the child is "not really" a part of that people group is just plain idiotic. Just so you know.

Calling All Parents of Biracial Kids!

I need hair help!!!!

Maya's hair is still really dry and frizzy in the back. I think I need a leave-in conditioner. Her hair is not as kinky and tight as AA hair so I think a product meant for that type of hair will be too heavy. So I need something in between. Any suggestions?

Curly-Q!

Maya's hair has been getting longer...(yay!)....but also a little kinkier (is that a word?). And while kinky is cute, it's also a little dry, tangled, and frizzy. So I asked my brother's girlfriend (whose a hair dresser) if she has any products that work for Maya's type of hair. She brought me this.



It's awesome!



Now check out my girl's cutie curls. I love 'em!

Hey! Jesus Wasn't White!

It's so surprising to me (although I suppose it shouldn't be at this point) how many nativity scenes, books, art, everything! features a white Jesus. People know he was born in the middle east right? The Bible does talk a lot about deserts, sun, and sand. People who live in the desert generally don't look like the pearly-white-skin-american-looking Bible characters that are marketed to us from a young age.

Just recently I saw a nativity scene where all of the characters are white except for the three wise men. What the heck? Did I miss something here? Does it say in the Bible that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus sport Eastern European features and pasty white skin despite being from the middle east, and the three wise men are the only ones who actually looked like they're supposed to be where they're from? I think there's come kind of conspiracy going on here.

Oh, by the way, thanks to Janiece and Rachel for the blog title!

Having a Very Merry (and Ethnic) Christmas

My trans-racial adoptive families tune in. It IS possible to find ethnically diverse Christmas decor for your house. It's taken me some time but here are a few great finds.

African-american angel from Hallmark

The picture is bad but it's a hispanic angel I got at a local craft fair

This tree topper I think could be African-american or Hispanic, which suits us fine since my
kids are both

This African-american Santa I found at one of those tupper-ware type parties where you feel obligated to buy something because you know your friend only had the party to earn money to get free goods from the distributor and they went through all the trouble of making hors d'oeuvres and dessert but what you really wish is that they made Margaritas and Mojitos. On a sidenote: hors d'oeuvres is a b**** of a word to spell.

This is a Peruvian nativity in a gord. I got this and the Nigerian ornament below at a local craft fair but the vendor was Ten Thousand Villages, which is a fair trade company.

Do you have any good ethnically diverse holiday theme decorations?

In Recent News...

Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayer as the new Supreme Court Justice. Why am I excited about this?

1) She is hispanic.

2) More specifically, she is Puerto Rican.

3) She is a she. Meaning a woman.

4) Now all parts of my children's heritage are represented in high government.

And that is enough for me to be pleased with this decision.


And about other recent news, anyone watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight on Monday night? I used to be a big fan of the show and the family, but now I'm pretty disturbed by the whole thing. In my opinion, Jon should never have quit his job and they should have ended the show when the kids were three. That would have probably saved their marriage. It's so tragic. And I can't see how anyone would want to watch the show anymore. It's just depressing. Any other opinions on that?

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I can't believe how different life is with two kids instead of one. I have a hard time finding time just to shower. But I have some cute Memorial Day pics I'll post coming up soon. I just have to edit them first.

You Mean She Doesn't Look Like Me?!

I don't know what is going on but this baby has prompted more comments and questions than I ever had with Mateo. And she doesn't look more different from us than Mateo does, so this is weirding me out. Here is a conversation that occurred at the mall while playing in the children's play area with Mateo and holding Maya. And then a list of snarky comments to follow.

Random Woman: Wow! What an adorable baby!

Us: Thanks. (Yes, we were a collective being that day)

RW: How old is she?

Us: (thinking in our head's, how predictable) Two months.

RW: Oooohhhh.....(looking back and forth between me, the baby, and Dave) I'm trying to figure out who she looks like.

Us: (huh?) [enter snarky comment here]

Here are some options:

What? Clearly she looks just like me!

My wife's boss.

I don't know but if you see someone around here who looks like her, tell them they can have their kid back.

Your mother!

What are you talking about? She looks just like...(looking at baby)...wait a minute! Honey, do you have something to tell me?

Oh, she looks like my husband's sugar momma.

Or you could just do what we did and stare at her blankly.

Any other ideas?

She Has a Tan!

I was at a friend's baby shower this weekend and I brought the baby along with me. She got a lot of attention, of course, because she's so dang cute. One 14 year old girl in particular took an interest. She said, "Wow. She's so tan already!" I explained that she's not tan, she's Puerto Rican.

"Ohhhh..." she paused looking at me, "How did that happen?"

"Well, when God was making this one, He thought He might change things up a bit. So He took this mostly Swedish girl (me) and this Italian boy (Dave), put them together and...POW!... grew us a Puerto Rican baby."

The girl was very sweet and didn't mean any harm, but it was quite humorous to me. I've never had anyone ask me that. So I explained all about fostering and adoption and the girl was thrilled. Apparently I'm just as cool as Angelina to young teens everywhere. And she says she wants to adopt when she gets old enough. Well, I hope she does. And maybe I helped to inspire her :)

Future Sumo Wrestler?

Disturbing, Yet So Real

Obama or Lion King?

I've written several times about the challenges and joys of raising children in multi-racial families. Mainly, through trans-racial adoption. While I feel pretty incompetent in this area, I continue to strive to do my best. One thing that I love to do is collect multiracial and multicultural children's books. I highlighted my two most recent purchases in my MLK Jr. post a couple weeks ago. "Big Words" about Martin Luther King and "Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Child of Hope".

Well, we've hounded Obama's face into Mateo so many times that now he thinks every black man is Obama. Including Martin Luther King Jr., who's book we read every week. He calls him Obama. And Obama, Obama. And any other black male character, Obama.

I tried to tell Mateo that Martin Luther King Jr. was not Obama, but Martin Luther King Jr. just seemed like a mouthful for Mateo to be able to say. Especially considering he can't even say his own name. So, I've been calling him Dr.King. Which Mateo has now translated to Lion King.

So now every black male is either Obama or Lion King.

Am I doing something wrong here?

MLK Jr. Day (a little late)

I had Disney on the brain and therefore missed my obligation and opportunity to write a post about Martin Luther King Jr. But it's something I don't want to ignore. It's important. And I wish there was more attention to it in every culture and every American family, not just multiracial and minority families. Mostly because I never gave it a second thought before getting my beautiful African-American and Puerto-Rican son. And I am ashamed of that. I should have noticed, I should have cared, but like most of us, I was living in the bubble of white privilege. But the more I delve into the depths that is transracial (adoptive) parenting, the more I realize the changes I need to make to myself. And the more I care about things like Martin Luther King Jr. day, Obama's inauguration (which I did watch live) even though I had never watched or cared about a single inauguration before, looking for TV shows and books and schools that are diverse in race and culture, and much much more.

And it's not just for Mateo, although we all agree we would go to the ends of the earth for our children, but to be a better person, a better citizen of this earth, and a better child of God. I try to have patience for those who do not understand, because I was just like them once. But I find myself becoming more and more intolerant of ignorance, bigotry, and prejudice. As I re-hash in my mind conversations I've had with people about race, I find myself getting more and more furious that I couldn't make them see, make them understand, or even want to understand. At least I had my eyes and my mind wide-open to learning. And that really hurts. Especially when it's a friend. But in thinking about Martin Luther King Jr., I remind myself that he did not forefully and angrily make people believe in him. He inspired and encouraged and led as an example of humility and integrity. I have a lot to learn.

I guess I'm still navigating through the gray and haziness of it all. I don't think I'll ever come out the other side, but I have to try to keep wandering through it for the sake of Mateo and my future children. But let's give credit where credit is due. Martin Luther King Jr. is an inspiration. To me and I hope to my children some day. What would have happened if he didn't stand up for what he believed in? Where would we be now? Obama probably wouldn't be president. Schools may still be segregated. We may not even have the children we love so dearly. It's scary to even think about. If I could have my children come away with anything regarding MLK Jr. it would be to fight for your passions no matter what the cost. Although I wonder if MLK Jr.'s mother worried about him getting arrested during all of those marches, and if he would eat a healthy dinner, and wear a warm enough sweater. You've got to think he was who he was partly because of his parents.

I'd like to end this post with two book reviews. These are two children's books I found at our local bookstore.

The first is called "Barack Obama; Son of Promise, Child of Hope."



The illustrations are beautiful, as is the story. The only downside is that it's told from the view of a single mother of a young black boy. Obviously not every family can relate to that, but it makes the story interesting since Obama grew up without his father's daily presence. The story tells of a young "Barry" who had dreams of helping the poor and changing the world and how that led him to becoming the president. It's very touching.

This next one is called "Martin's Big Words"


I LOVE this book. It tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight for equality in simple, yet honest, language. The pictures are also beautiful and the story includes some of his actual speeches. It is my new favorite book of Mateo's.

Both books are written more for an elementary age child, but a preschooler would like the pictures and be able to follow along. I bought them for Mateo now because I'm an avid collector of multi-cultural children's books, even if he's too young to appreciate them now. Both these books are worth having in your library.

And finally, although I'd like to think that MLK Jr. would be proud of the families we've become in this generation, we still have a long way to go. And I have a dream, that we will keep striving to become a more equal country, not only by race, but gender, sexual orientation, and in every way that makes us different and unique. For we are all children of God.

The 3 Kings Brought What?

We celebrated 3 Kings Day yesterday. It is a big holiday in the Puerto Rican culture, so we've integrated it into our family. Normally you are supposed to put grass in a box under your bed for the camels that the 3 Kings ride, but Mateo is so young that we didn't bother this year. We just gave him a present and said, "Happy 3 Kings Day."

Actually, I had planned an open house for friends and family and was going to make Puerto Rican food, but the weather forecast looked bad so I canceled. Turns out it didn't start sleeting till 10pm. Oh well.

So we took an extra gift we had for Christmas (since he got SO much) and gave it to Mateo last night. It was a garbage truck, which Mateo loves. In an attempt to put some meaning to the random gift, and because Mateo pretty much thinks we go to church every week to worship Santa, Dave tries to explain about the story of the three kings. I'm "working" on the computer at this point because....well....I know better. Here is the conversation they had.

Dave: Mateo, when baby Jesus was born there were 3 kings that brought Jesus presents. They brought gold, frankencense, and -

Mateo: Garbage!

Dave: (enter defeated sigh) Yes, we celebrate 3 Kings Day because the kings brought Jesus garbage.

See? I told him. I know better. In Mateo's defense, we did give him a garbage truck for 3 Kings Day. It kind of makes sense. The 3 kings obviously brought Jesus garbage if we were giving him a garbage truck, right?

So here's to the new nativity story. Gold, frankincense, and garbage!

****** Correction: Dave was actually contrasting the disparities between the myth/tradition of Three Kings Day (i.e. 3 members of some royalty arriving on camels 12 days after Jesus' birth) and the Biblical version of an unspecified number of "wise men" arriving an unspecified time period "after" His birth using an unspecified mode of transportation. Of course, the subtleties were lost on Mateo (and me).

Do You Think I Overreacted?

I may have overreacted. Mateo is 2.5 now and as I've said, he's starting to say more words and even some phrases. He's also more aware of himself and other people. One of those things I wasn't quiet prepared for.

We are very culture conscious people. And we would have been no matter what race our children were. But, since Mateo is a different race then us, we are even more sensitive to it. So, we filled our house with books and toys and characters of all colors, with special attention to Hispanic and African American culture. We even had a black Santa figurine out for Christmas. I didn't expect Mateo to notice anything to do with race yet, he just barely realized that a mirror is his own reflection. I knew that one day, I would stutter through a conversation about how his skin looks different from his parent's and what that means and why. But I thought I had another year, at least. But, like always, Mateo is full of surprises.

He was playing with some little plastic people, in which we have an array of ethnicities, but the one he had was a dark black color. Mateo stopped and looked at it closely and said, "Mama, face, face", and pointed to the little person's face, then his face. So, of course, I panicked and started psychoanalyzing what that could possibly mean and what we could possibly be doing wrong that would make him point out that particular little person's face, instead of the Asian or one of the white ones. Immediately my thoughts began racing.

Does he think there's something wrong with the black face?

Does he notice that face doesn't match mine?

Does Mateo think he's white?

Are we not exposing him enough to darker skin people?

Is he afraid of it?

Have we already engrained in him a preference for light skinned people?

Have we completely messed up this parenting thing already?

Have we ruined his chances of becoming a balanced individual who has a clear sense of his identity but who also doesn't allow labels to define him and has the ability to break free of the boxes society will create for him?

Oh my God! What have we done?

Then I threw out all of the books with white characters and replaced them with books with minority characters. Do you think I overreacted?

Adoption: blessing or curse?

I need to get serious here for a moment and get some things off my chest about adoption. Read with caution.

As I grow and learn and mature into becoming an adoptive parent, I am starting to realize the dark side of it all. I thank God for Mateo everyday. I thank Him for adoption and the opportunity for us to grow our family through adoption. But isn't that so sick and twisted? That I pride myself on being "one of those people", who's willing to open my heart and home to adopt a child who can't be with their family. While it's a beautiful and wonderful blessing for me, it is certainly not for my son. Or any child from a domestic, international, or foster care situation either. It's sad. And horrible. And I don't know why we are rejoicing and thanking God for the gift of adoption.

My son lost his birthfamily. He lost his culture, his race, his DNA, his genetic connection to anybody, his history, his lineage, any birth siblings, and more than I can ever know. That's sad. That is not joyous and happy. That is nothing to have a party about or baby shower or whatever. Mateo's adoption means loss. It means sin and imperfection magnified in this world. It means grief and trauma and possibly guilt and shame.

It also means rebirth, hope, another chance, and a new family. But I can't choose that meaning for him. It may be what it means to us, as parents, but it will probably not mean the same to Mateo. People say he is so lucky. The pat answer adoptive parents give is that we are the lucky ones. But Mateo is not lucky. It wouldn't even be "lucky" for him to have stayed with his birthfamily. It would be normal. That's what he's entitled to, isn't it? All the things I mentioned above. The genetic connection, acceptance, and love all children should have. He deserves to be with a family that looks like him. Not one that looks like the same people who oppressed his race for so long. For Mateo to be with his birthfamily would just be natural, the way things should be. But relatively speaking, is it "luckier" for a child to be adopted then hanging around in foster care or in an orphanage possibly dying of hunger and never forming any connections? Of course. But is it really lucky, compared to most families where children aren't abused or neglected or starving, and stay with their birthparents that love and want them?

And what about the parents who are the "lucky" ones to get to adopt a child? What about those who have to make great sacrifices in raising a child with RAD or special needs or medical problems they didn't know about? I can tell you that through the struggles we had with Mateo, I didn't feel very lucky to have adopted him. I don't think people living with RAD feel very lucky to have adopted a hurt, broken, child who has changed their life so drastically. That doesn't mean they don't love their child or feel a deep bond with them. But lucky? I don't know about that.

Obviously, many children can't be with their birthfamilies, because of sin. Because the world is messed up. Because Adam and Eve ate that damn apple from that stupid tree. I don't think it's better for kids who can't be reunited to languish in foster care forever or grow up in an orphanage. Of course I believe in permanency and family and trying to make the best of a sucky situation. But I am torn between being so happy that I can have Mateo because of this sin and imperfection, and being so sad that he has to be with us instead of the birthfamily he deserves. I don't know whether I love adoption or hate it. Whether I want to be a part of it forever or never again. I definitely shouldn't feel happy about adopting children. How could someone be happy about a child being ripped away from a family and culture they will never truly know, whether it's anyone's fault or not?

I certainly can't teach my son how to be a biracial hispanic and african american man in today's world. The best I can do is provide someone else who can teach him. Even still, the people who love him the most look nothing like him. They don't talk like his people or eat like his people or live like his people, for the most part. Yes, obviously we are all human beings, and Americans, and blah blah blah, but come on, everyone would admit there are differences in the way people of different races live. Whether it's speaking Spanish among family, cooking soul food, or specific slang words. When I worked at a camp for inner city foster children, who were mostly african american, I couldn't understand what they were talking about many times. And I'm young and pretty hip! Those nuances are important sub-cultural social clues about a person. Most transracial adoptees would agree they missed out on that. It made it harder to relate to their peers, the ones that looked like them. That's why black people raised with white parents are often accused of "talking white." So they are not truly accepted by either group. And family is supposed to be comfort and acceptance and the one place in this world where you can be yourself. What if you don't know who yourself is? And what if your family doesn't feel like your real home, or you're not entirely comfortable there? Then what do you have? Nothing. You're lost. And that's the worst place to be. Lost.

So, I know that I've drifted in my discussion here. But it's all related, in my head anyway. Sorry if it's hard to follow. Just some thoughts I've been having lately. Especially hearing other parents who are so excited for upcoming adoptions (I am too, so I'm not blaming anyone), I just think we all have something to learn by looking at adoption from another point of view.

This is just me being open and honest about something very complex. I don't mean to blame or judge anyone, only myself and my own feelings. So don't take any of it personally, but feel free to leave a comment, whether you disagree or not.

Justice's Tips for Adoptive Parents

Again, I have reason to believe I am important somehow. That people want to know my opinion and hear what I have to say. This may not be true but it's the only reason I can justify keeping up this blog. So, in the theme of National Adoption Month, here are a few tips for adoptive families that are awaiting their child. So, no credibility here, just what I learned from Mateo. Maybe you can get something out of it or maybe it is further confirmation that I am a self-obsessed, know-it-all, who thinks she is far more important than she really is and you'll never visit my blog again. Either way, here it is.


1. Be prepared to not be prepared. What I mean is, know that you will have feelings and emotions that you didn't expect to feel. And that is okay. You really can't be prepared for what this will be like.

2. It's a good idea to be prepared for stupid questions and assumptions from others who don't understand adoption. Sometimes these people are ignorant and inexperienced. Sometimes they are curious and don't know better. And sometimes they are just mean. I've found most of the time, people are just uneducated about adoption etiquette. Example; at Mateo's adoption party an old friend says to me, "so you're not gonna have any kids?" Another time, after noticing Mateo wasn't talking as well as other kids his age someone asks, "is he slow?" and "will he ever be normal?" It's a good idea to have some pat answers for these situations.

3. Know that you will have feelings about being a transracial parent (if you are going that route), even if you think you won't. Hidden prejudices will come up for you, your family, and your friends. You may experience some negative comments from people you thought loved you, and they probably do, but haven't had to think about what they say before. Again, have responses ready, you will have to do a lot of educating.

4. Flexibility is essential. You may have to change your plan and tactics as your child grows and develops, and as the attachment strengthens. Be open to new ideas.

5. Be patient! Give the child time to adjust and don't expect to see results right away. But be happy with the small successes. For instance, it took Mateo almost a year to learn how to go down a playground slide by himself. Which is a small success for a typical child his age. But for us, we about had a party when he finally did it. I called our friends and family to let them know and they were just as excited. You would have thought he won the Nobel Prize or something. But it does make life better because we don't take the small accomplishments for granted.

6. Expect ups and downs and set-backs. Mateo is constantly cycling through behavior problems and emotional problems. I can't say what he'll be like 6 months from now. I don't know what behaviors patterns are gone forever or will be back in a matter of a few month or a few years. He can regress quickly in certain circumstances as well. This is normal for a child with a background of trauma. And all adopted kids have experienced trauma. Even if they have not been abused, they've had trauma just in losing their birthparents.

7. Be prepared to change your preconceptions of parenting and erase what you think you know about parenting. Throw away your parenting experiences because it won't be the same. This is especially true for parents adopting an older child.

8. You may have trouble relating with other parents who have not adopted. You may feel like you're looked at differently or feel like an outsider. This is why it's important to get to know other adoptive families.

9. Take care of yourself!!!

10. Get help quickly if you feel you need it. There is nothing wrong with seeing a counselor or therapist. And there is nothing wrong with asking for professional help for your child either.


I will be doing a final Adoption post before the end of the month, then it's back to my normal funny stories and rants. Have a good Thanksgiving everybody!

Race

I am not black. I have never been judged by how I look. I have never been turned down for a job because of the color of my skin. I have never been assumed to be on welfare, uneducated, or less worthy because of my race. No, I have coasted by on white privilege, and not even known it. I do not understand what it feels like to be a minority in this country. I have not experienced hate, prejudice, intolerance, or discrimination (institutional or otherwise). I have blond hair and blue eyes and Eastern Europe ancestry. I have not had to fight to get respect in this lifetime.

But because I stood before God, a judge, family, and friends on May 23, 2008, and said that I WILL raise this little boy into a man and do what is right by him, I have to try to understand. I am limited in my experience and knowledge of how to raise a Puerto Rican African-American man. But my God, I have to try. And because I love my son with all my heart, I have to try. I may not know it all. I may make mistakes. I may miss things here and there. But I have to try.

We are not a white family anymore. We are a multi-racial family made up of Swedish, Native American, Italian, German, Puerto Rican, and African ancestry. I have blond hair and blue eyes, my husband has white skin and freckles, our son has beautiful dark olive skin and curly brown hair.

Today I read that a 9 year old biracial girl wants to be the first African American woman president. I've watched black grandmothers cry for the future their grandchildren can have that they never dreamed of. I've heard little girls and boys of all racial backgrounds yell with excitement, "he looks like me!" as parents looked on with tears in their eyes, knowing this day will change their children forever. I have felt that. Even with my white skin, and blond hair, I have felt that pride knowing that we are changing the world. For our children, we are changing the world. For Mateo, I am changing the world.

It may not be perfect. Racism will still exist. Discrimination and social injustice will still run rampant in our country and the world. But for once, hope is alive. I hear it all over the world. And hope can't be wrong. Hope breeds courage and strength, motivation and passion, with hope people can make their OWN change. Wake up people! Wake up Christians! There are more important things going on than abortion and homosexuality. Wake up and open your eyes! There's war, and not just in Iraq. There's hunger, and not just in third world countries. There are people starving for truth, hope, love, and someone to care about them. The Bible mentions these issues far more than it references the things we've been politicizing in this election.

Why don't we use our energy to send shoes to children in Africa who've lived their entire lives without them? Why don't we pool our money to support rehabilitation services to women rescued from the sex slave industry in our very own country? Why can't we stand together for justice and equality instead of arguing semantics and Bible verses? There are far more horrific things going on in the world than what I've seen people spend an awful lot of time fighting about.

Wish I could be as proud of my faith as I am of my country right now. But I will continue to have faith and hope for my brothers and sisters. I will continue to fight against social injustice and what I believe are the issues God calls us to. I will continue to look at my own sin and selfishness and have hope that will change too. I will pray for the people of my faith just as hard as I will pray for my country, my president, and my children. God bless.

PLEASE Read This for Our Children!

I really hope that in this day of age, with the first African-American president in office, we are doing justice to the next generation we are bringing up by teaching tolerance. Of course I am passionate about this because my son is a minority and my future children will also be minorities, but our world can't change if multi-racial families are the only one's teaching our children about racism. It has to be everyone! Whether you are a white family raising white kids, interracial marriage with biracial kids, adoptive families, step families, kinship families, it shouldn't matter. Everyone deserves and needs the message of tolerance. So I want to ask, what are you doing to teach your children, not only tolerance, but appreciation and love for people who are different than you are, whether it's by skin color, cultural heritage, gender identification, sexuality, language, etc.? You, as parents, are the ultimate teachers for your children, and what you do matters! Remember, they learn more by what you do than by what you say.

Here are some things you can do to teach your children social justice. First, do not turn a blind eye to racism and prejudice. It does exist. By teaching your children that it exists, you are giving them the ability to see it for what it is and begin to abolish it. White privilege is taught unknowingly by our parents, teachers, and communities. You can stop this by acknowledging it!
This is probably the biggest and most important step. There are lots of resources online about teaching tolerance. My favorites are:

author Tim Wise, has a book called "White Like Me" and a website www.timwise.org
www.antiracistparent.com
www.tolerance.org

I am referencing a list I read of questions for transracial adoptive parents to ask themselves, but I think it's important for ALL parents to ask themselves. Does my child have adult role models that reflect all races? Who does my child see on TV that positively and accurately reflect different races? Does your child see professionals of minority races on a regular basis instead of only working in service jobs? Do you have books in your house that represent characters of all races and are historically correct? Please, try to integrate this into your set of values for your children. Even if you think you don't need to, you do. It's your responsibility to foster a better world for our children. And it's always better with love.



I can not put into words the way I feel about the possible impact this current president can have on our lives. This picture says everything. It gives my son hope. And it gives me hope for my children's future. Because you see, if an African-American man can be elected as president of the United States, with our long history of racism and injustice, what does that mean for my son? It means that Mateo will know that he is capable of anything. He is empowered by his color instead of being defined by it. Obama has the potential to be one of the most influential role models for the upcoming generation of minority children. Let's pray he lives up to that potential.

And please, do your part in preparing our children for a new world full of diversity. It's very possible that in our lifetime, white will be the minority. So let's prepare for a time when we can truly be color blind.

Dear Mateo,

Today a black man made history. You were sleeping and have no idea what this means. But I pray that not only does this create a better world for you, but you can look at our president, see your face mirrored, and that will give you all the motivation and ambition in the world! I am proud of our country for rising up from our history and doing the right thing. I hope, Mateo, that you will learn about this election in the history books in school and feel proud to be who you are. A strong, smart, biracial American capable of anything!

Love, Mom.