Perfect Moment Monday: Happy Birthday to Me!

I Capture Perfect Moments.

Lori hosts a link up every week called “Perfect Moment Monday” . Every week I see it, every week I think, “I should do that”, and every week it passes me by again. NOT THIS WEEK!

This week my perfect moment was my birthday lunch. I invited a few friends over during the noon hour, and we had the most perfect lunch together. The guest list included:

My friend whom I met in 1988 in my geometry class. Once you’ve suffered through geometry together, really, you’re bonded for life.

My friend whom I met during my Montessori training course in 1995. Again, meeting during such a pivotal year in one’s life bonds people.

My friend whom I met at our very first cooking club gathering in September 2001. She lives around the corner from me and I don’t get to see her nearly enough.

My friend whom I met through preschool in 2006, whom I complete probably 95% of my summer adventures with each year. Our girls are the same age, and I can’t really imagine my life without her!

And last, but not least, my friend I’ve  met through the Twitter just this past fall. We’ve gone from one  line chatters to walking buddies to friends.

Good Friends, Good Food, Great Conversation.

It was, by far, the best way to kick off my 37th year!

Have a perfect moment? Link it up over at Weebles Weblog!

Totally Cheating on Today’s Post

If I admit it in the headline, you have to accept it, right**

For reals, today’s post is just a link….did you know that The Adoption Writers at Grown in My Heart has a review/giveaway site? Sometimes I forget myself. Then I take on a post to write, and it’s all, hey! there’s this secondary blog with some fun things on it!

SO.

My first post over there is about the Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest and a battery giveaway that goes with it.

**In my defense, I’m coming off of the four-day business trip of BgK, which was sort of out of the blue. My tactic for coping is to keep the children as busy as possible. So I’m kinda tired…..

Day 10 DOWN.

Grown in My Heart: Adoption Carnival VI

Friday  the sixth topic for Grown In My Heart’s Adoption Carnival was announced…….racism. And I was stumped. I’m an adoptive mo994329_un_flagsm to two kids who, well, look just like me and my husband. We didn’t plan it that way. We certainly didn’t request it. It just so happens that Jane and I are the same height. That Geoff and BgK have the same hair color. Our kids “blend” into our family so well based on appearance, it’s really by choice that we tell people they are adopted.

So racism doesn’t really come into play in our lives as a component of adoption. But of course, as a white family in midwestern Americana, I know racism does exist. Indiana has an awful history of racism and hatred. In my day-to-day life I don’t see it, but that’s because I’m white.

Anyway.

My daughter attends and I teach at a very nice suburban preschool. It is probably one of the most diverse private schools in the metro area, if not the state. My classroom is nearly 50% non-white.  Many of my daughter’s friends are children of immigrants. Children who visit grandparents in Pakistan, Kenya, New Zealand, India and South Korea. There are children who’ve been adopted internationally (and bi-racially). In central Indiana, this as diverse as it gets.

My son attends the daycare where Mam did. It’s very different from our little preschool, but his class is still nearly 50% non-white. His friends speak Spanish at home and English at the center. His first three caregivers were African-American, as are many of his playmates. I feel like my children have been exposed to as much diversity as we can get in the middle of Indiana.

Given that my children do see faces of people who don’t look like them on a daily basis, I’ve always sort of approached race by not approaching it–my thought was always not to point it out, and my children wouldn’t see it. Or they would see it, but they wouldn’t think much of it.

Then I read Nurture Shock. And realized I was wrong. The authors of Nurture Shock illustrate how children naturally sort and classify the world. If a group of children is divided by say, the color of their t-shirt, they automatically assume allegiance to their color. It makes sense. They further go on to illustrate answers children gave in regards to race, and how they do segregate the world by race, only they don’t talk about it because they’ve learned from their parents not to talk about it. Oh boy. I’m not explaining it well, but suffice it to say, after reading it, I feel like I’ve been doing a disservice to my own children as well my students.

Oh. My. Word. I have some explaining to do to my kiddos. I haven’t quite figured out how to talk to them about this, but I will. I have to. I’m their mom. If I don’t, who will????

Have some thoughts about racism? Link up at Grown in My Heart!!

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