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Our family looks different than most families.
I get that. For any number of reasons we are stare-worthy.
Seriously.
I totally get that.
First off, the girls are twins. People stare at twins. All twins. Not just my twins.
Secondly, we are old, and the twins are young. People are trying to do the math. They are perplexed. So they stare.
Thirdly, we are white and they are black.
So people stare. The staring isn't so bad anymore (though in the beginning it really bugged me!)
Some things perplex me though.
Here is a real life exchange that just happened last week:
Woman: "Oh they're cute. Are they adopted?"
Me: "Yes Ma'am and thank you."
Woman: "Where are they from?"
Me: "Houston."
Woman: "No I mean where are the "from"?" (she actually made air quotes)
Me: "Houston."
Woman: "No, I mean like where is their mother land?" (not even kidding)
Me: "Texas?"
Woman: "No, like are they from Africa, or Ethiopia, or Haiti?"
Me: "Nope, they're from Houston."
Woman: "oh." (shrugs shoulders, smiles at me like I just don't understand her question, walks away)
I'm often amazed at the things people say to me. And sometimes the comments are hysterical (like the lady that told me the girls looked a lot like Zahara . . . Pitt . . . seriously.)
Anyway, I think the thing that perplexes me the most is that in these days and times that our family would be an oddity.
I'm surprised by that I guess.
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So come on, I've got to know, what is the craziest thing anyone has said to you about your colorful family?
Some things perplex me though.
Here is a real life exchange that just happened last week:
Woman: "Oh they're cute. Are they adopted?"
Me: "Yes Ma'am and thank you."
Woman: "Where are they from?"
Me: "Houston."
Woman: "No I mean where are the "from"?" (she actually made air quotes)
Me: "Houston."
Woman: "No, I mean like where is their mother land?" (not even kidding)
Me: "Texas?"
Woman: "No, like are they from Africa, or Ethiopia, or Haiti?"
Me: "Nope, they're from Houston."
Woman: "oh." (shrugs shoulders, smiles at me like I just don't understand her question, walks away)
I'm often amazed at the things people say to me. And sometimes the comments are hysterical (like the lady that told me the girls looked a lot like Zahara . . . Pitt . . . seriously.)
Anyway, I think the thing that perplexes me the most is that in these days and times that our family would be an oddity.
I'm surprised by that I guess.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So come on, I've got to know, what is the craziest thing anyone has said to you about your colorful family?
We have 2 sets - the older 2 and the younger 2 - so we get... "his and hers?" or "his and y'alls?" Nope, all of them are "ours", we've been married 30 years - then you can see them really shocked - so I feel the need to say "yep we waited 6 years before we had our first" ;-p Then once they've recovered their expressions from that they want to know why the long break between the 2 sets? Sometimes I tell the truth which is "we lost a baby girl between" - but that is usually a conversation downer - so I say "it took us a while to recover from the terrible twos after our second" - Kim Willcoxon
ReplyDeleteKim, I really do think that most time people just don't know WHAT to say!
DeleteI always get...your catholic huh?!? Lol - Rhonda Claus
ReplyDeleteThat's funny Rhonda!
DeleteSo I was at an event at church and had my daughter with me, who is mixed. I'm white, my husband is black. She was probably about 6 months old at the time. A friend of mine introduced me to a gentleman (who I had actually met before). "This is Courtney and this is her daughter, Nyla." So the man says, "And where did Nyla come from?" I said, "Uhhh....my husband." Haha! He felt pretty terrible. He went back to his seat and told the another friend of mine sitting there, "I just totally stuck my foot in my mouth."
ReplyDeleteThat is the best line EVER!!!!! Omgosh I'm laughing so hard right now!
DeleteApart form the "better you than me" comments I often get when people learn of the age difference between my oldest (26) and my youngest (5), one of my favorites is the, "Are they sisters?" exchange. It goes something like this...
ReplyDeletePerson (looking at my two youngest daughters who are adopted from China): Are they sisters?
Me: Yes, they are.
Person: (Leaning in and giving me a knowing look) I mean are they REALLY sisters?
Me: Yes, they are.
Person: No...I mean do they have the same parents?
Me: Yes they do...you're looking at them!
At this point the person generally walks away shaking their head in a "Bless Her heart" kind of way thinking, I am sure, that I just don't get it.
I also shake my head in a "BLess her Heart" sort of way, knowing that some people really just don't get it!
Sometimes people are funny. I've even had people say, "Oh you couldn't have real kids?" And when I mention I have biological kids that are grown up people simply cannot compute that! HA! Sometimes "I" can't compute that one!
DeleteMy youngest son looks alot like his father but alot of people confuse him for a mixed child. Well one day we where at the store with a good friend of mine (who is white) Im holding my son. The lady looks at my friend and tells her how beutiful her son was. My friend politely told the woman that he was my son. The lady had the most confused look on her face then proceed to ask me if his father was white. I told her no and you can see the disbelief on her face it was priceless. Then she asked well how can he have blue eyes. I just laughed and left the store.
ReplyDeleteNikki, my favorite part is always the "huh?" look, then when there's nothing left to say someone just walks away. HA!
DeleteMy story is a TWIN story. I have an identical twin sister and Carol can confirm that we look a lot alike. Okay so we have been asked over the years MANY, MANY times "Do y'all ever get yourselves confused with each other? Do you think you are her and she thinks she is you?"
ReplyDeleteSeriously, do people really think that we would get ourselves confused with each other??? So Carol in addition to the questions you get about your family of color prepare yourself (if you can) for the question "Do Nikki and Shannay get themselves confused?" To me it would be no different than do you and Mike get yourselves confused? Just saying.
1st - you girls DO look a lot alike. I remember in high school having my little tricks for telling you apart (basically, by which class we were in together!)
DeleteBut that one is just too much! Seriously, do you ever confuse yourself with each other?!!!!!