Helping a child feel like they belong in the family

You are going to get a million different answers. I can only speak for myself as a white Dad who has three kids who are white and our last who is black. Our family, and that includes extended family has made our little guy the center of the universe. We know there will be days ahead where he'll have questions about things and we're going to go down that path together. Certainly being aware of his heritage is important because it's now our heritage. We share a history now. I'm so proud of him I could burst most days, and when we're out in the world I want the whole world to see how beautiful he is and I want them to know he's my son. I dare any of them to tell me that he's not.I think as a parent you love them with all your heart and as we've done with any of our kids, we stay involved and active in his world. My little guy is also deaf so we have that part of the world to participate in also.Thankfully his pre-school class has kids of every color as I do believe being around a mixed group of kids is the best thing so that he doesn't see the world just one color.I guess I could go on forever. Bottom line is it's the best 'job' in the world and putting everything you can into it, is the way to go. Learn all you can, ask questions when you've got them, but also trust your heart that you'll do right by your child.

The typical answers: Live in (or move to) a diverse area so your child can attend school, religious services, go to the grocery store, etc. with other people who share their ethnic background. Have in your home music, art, food, etc. that encorporates their heritage. Have ethnic friends/role models. Discuss and encourage conversation about significant people who share their ethnicity and have make important contributions or are successful Have a Dr./Dentist/barber/etc. who shares their ethnic background Attend events celebrating their ethnicity (i.e. cultural fairs, religious events) And the list goes on. I enjoyed this book (among many others): Dim Sum, Bagels, and Grits: A Sourcebook for Multicultural Families by Myra Alperson