Five years ago, in December 2019, we made the big decision to leave the suburbs and move to the farm. Just a few months later, the world went into lockdown due to the pandemic, but looking back, it couldn’t have been better timing. While the rest of the world was cooped up inside, we were able to roam free on our expansive farm, finding solace in the fresh air and wide-open spaces. For more about how our farm life has shaped us, check out my post on navigating … [Read more...]
Raising Multiracial Teenagers: Challenges, Identity Struggles & How to Help
Raising a teenager is already a challenge, but when your child is multiracial, it adds another layer of complexity. As a mom of four—a teenager, a preteen, an early elementary son, and a toddler daughter—I’ve had my fair share of conversations about race, identity, and belonging. Over the years, my kids have been asked questions that made them pause, sometimes making them feel like they didn’t quite fit in anywhere. Questions like: Then there are the … [Read more...]
How to Apologize to Your Child: Breaking Generational Cycles
Some parents don't believe in apologizing to children. But in my opinion, children are people too, and they have feelings. When parents learn to apologize, they begin modeling what healthy relationships look like for their children. My parents are Jamaican, and I grew up in an era of children must know their place. As a child, you basically had no rights. You did as your parents said, even if it didn't make sense. You didn't dare question them, or tell them … [Read more...]
How Understanding Stereotypes About Black Women Makes Me a Better Mother to My Mixed Daughters
Neck rolls. Attitude. Ebonics. Baby Daddies. Single Motherhood. These are just a few of the stereotypes that have long plagued Black women, and as a Black mother to mixed daughters, I often find myself facing these stereotypes in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Growing up on a military base, I was constantly surrounded by diversity. The stereotypes fed to me through mainstream media mostly went unnoticed. My Jamaican parents tried to prepare me for how the … [Read more...]