Extra Confused

Linus recently noticed differences in the color of people's skin. Unfortunately, she overheard somebody say something about a "black" person. Linus, annoyed that the person said another person was black said, "He doesn't know his colors, Mommy. He's brown, not black." Army and I reminded her that if we have to describe somebody, we describe who they are not the color of their skin. I was proud when she asked me what the color of their skin mattered anyway because we're all just people. I thought I had passed along the message I intended.

Then we went to the doctor's office. Linus's eyes grew larger and larger as she spotted baby after baby in the exam room occupied by triplets. We had to wait in line behind their mother while she paid, and Linus began to whine a bit. I asked her what it was all about, and was a little surprised by her answer: "We only got one baby. They got three. I wanna be brown, Mommy. I want three babies too!" She then turned to the mother of the triplets and said, "This is Lolly. She's my baby sister. I only got one. You're soooooo lucky! I wish we had three babies. I wish we were brown." Thankfully, the lady did not appear offended.

We once again had a discussion about us all being the same, and that skin color doesn't make a person who they are on the inside. She agreed as long as I'd accept that she wished she was brown instead of pink (because then she'd have triplet siblings, of course).

I thought skin color descriptors weren't really an issue anymore until Tuesday night. I forgot to thaw some chicken, and we didn't have any fresh chicken in the house, so I gave in and honored her request for Wendy's. She wanted chicken nuggets, and when she dug into her bag she noticed a sauce container. "Mommy, they gave me skin colored sauce."

Um, it was honey mustard. I don't know about you, but I don't know a single person with skin that's yellow with pepper flecks.