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Funny story being part of a mixed race couple.

The kind that only interracial couples encounter.

Drawing of a mixed race couple, caucasian male and coloured female
Awww mixed race couple

 

I've been married now for quite some time, so I do forget that we are in fact a mixed race couple and some people may be surprised when they see us together.

Child without an owner

When my son Lucas was young, we lived in a suburb St. Louis. The winters were cold and long. What to do with a small child? Take him to the mall and let him run around of course! Picture it when Papa took him: one little coloured child running around with no coloured person in sight. The people in the mall were befuddled. They did not know what to do with this child who had no owner. Should they intervene? Grab the kid? They certainly did a lot of looking around and swiveling!

This was a predominantly (white) suburb, so not many coloured folks out there to even assign my child to a random but like-coloured stranger.

It happens all the time. If our sons wanted to pretend like they did not know their dad, they could do it. Easily.

A White Nanny?

Cut to Austin. When we first moved in summer we needed childcare, before the school semester started. So we hired a full-time nanny for the summer. Who was white. Erin L.W. wherever you are, you were AMAZING.

It did lead to some interesting conversations she told me. When she took him around in the neighbourhood and beyond, people assumed she was Mom not nanny, because nannies were coloured not the other way around.  They were somewhat incredulous she was in fact the nanny. It almost seemed that people could wrap their heads around a white wife more than a white nanny to a coloured child.

This Random Stranger Yours?

Any interracial couple can attest to this. You and your partner are in line waiting for a table (to dine) with others or with a group of parents meeting the teacher for the first time; or any number of other situations.

"Pleased to meet you Mr. _ and Mrs. _ ", referring to myself and any other dark-skinned person there. I have been paired with innumerable random Indian men. Likewise, Papa has been paired with random Caucasian women. They've also assigned my sons to random Indian-looking adults instead of their very German-looking Papa.

It doesn't bother me and frankly it is entertaining when the person realizes they've made a faux pas.

 

The split second wait

This is another common one. Recently my husband and I took our son Liam to get icecream. Papa was ahead of us in line to pay and Liam was right behind him picking out toppings and I was further back. The cashier asked Papa if he was ready to pay, and he looked behind pointing to Liam and said, "No, I am waiting on my son" and there it was...the split second wait when she realized he was talking about that little East Indian boy in the line.

At the cinema, we were seated side by side and the server brought us our 4 waters. She handed water glasses to me, Liam and Lucas, then paused. The split second wait while she figured that Papa was with us. One of these things is not like the others!

There are so many more situations, some funny and others less so. If you have an interracial story to share, feel free to do so!


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