I honestly don't think about this topic much at all - it's nothing but 100% normal for us. We are an interracial family: I'm white (Caucasian), my husband is black (African-American) and little Paige is tan - a perfect mixture of the two of us! We've never encountered any negativity as a couple due to our "interracial" status... maybe it's because I never think about it. If people are rude to us, it's because they are jerks... I've never really thought about how people would/could react to our family. At Paige's birthday party we made special Angel cupcakes - some had white faces and some had brown faces, and nobody thought anything of it... and that's why I love our friends and family! : ) I figure one day Paige will start asking questions, or maybe some of her friends at school. One of my besties is also in an interracial marriage, and her nephew asked one of the sweetest things to her a while back: "When you and Uncle Billy have a baby, will one arm be black and one arm be white?" Too cute! I can see how the topic can be somewhat confusing to little ones. Which is why I wanted to share an awesome book I found a while back. Paige picked it off her book shelf for me to read tonight, and I just LOVE the way it explains the concept of an interracial family. The book is "Black, White and Tan" by Nicole C. Mullen. I picked it up at a Women of Faith conference I attended while I was prego the first time around... it was written by one of the featured speakers. I searched online and it seems like the book is currectly sold out (BOO!) but here is the link: http://store.womenoffaith.com/wofstore/product_detail.asp?sku=0981628516
"Black, White and Tan" is narrated by a little girl who is of mixed race. She talks about how her Mom is black, her Dad is white, and each of her brothers are a different shade of tan. Here is a small excerpt:
We all look a little different,
But we are the same family.
We are black, white and tan,
Like a human rainbow,
And we love each other very much.
When God made me,
He gave me big brown eyes,
And dark wavy hair.
He also gave me tan skin.
It is the color of coffee
Mixed with cream,
A shade of honey,
Kissed by the sun.
Isn't it adorable?! The illustrations are also great... It's definitely one of Paige's favorites. I definitely recommend it for any parent looking for a good book to teach their children about their own mixed race, or maybe any parent who has a child who is curious about God's family - the human rainbow. : )