The Return of the Asian-Feb 2010. 4/14-LINK TO PART 2-pg 249

[*Seanaci*]

Derek, how old is Ashlyn?

 

[lovegrumpy]

The kids are soo cute!!!! I love the BLT pictures. My youngest wants to stay there. Some day.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Is that a BYU hat? Just struck me as odd.

I can't find it again, but I laughed when I read "Sometimes I forget that I'm Asian...".
You remember where I grew up. People don't believe me (since I'm obviously "white") when I tell them that I was a minority in my HS. Sometimes I forgot that I wasn't Asian.

I'm no sociologist but it seems to me that "race" in America is really more about "class". People who have little and are afraid of losing what they have, lash out at others, look for someone to blame, and try to protect what they perceive they could lose. If we lessened the gap between classes I think the racism would decrease as well.

There was a huge movement in the 70s, continuing for decades after, of black social workers who were against white families adopting black children. (It is still common practice to try to match a child with same race parents first, before looking at other races as options, which I don't necessarily oppose.) When we had to fill out paperwork for our adoptions the only hesitation we had to possibly adopting outside our own race was that others would think and how that would affect the child's life. What bothers me is that these opinions of race, and how things should be are 100% taught to us, by our parents, our peers. Children don't see color or race. Too bad we have to lose that innocence.

so I'm skimming and trying to catch up, and your comment made me reflect on a sad day in the life of my son. We are white and I had been raising them in Okinawa on a Marine Corps/AF Base - we had all nationalities and colors around us, and we never mentioned it. My boys didn't know race at all - they just knew people are people. Well, we had been back in the states for about 2 months, my son was 6 and one day when the news was on he said, "Mommy why does everyone keep talking about white people and black people, and everyone is mad about it - I don't understand - why does it matter what color their skin is?" It made me cry to have to explain how some people are so mean... I don't think it will truly be over until people just stop bringing it up and stop "noticing."

 

[WDWisOurHappyPlace]

Jordan, I commend you as manager of this trip report. It really does seem like a job. lol The interaction between you and all of the people from your trip make it so fun to read! (Just wanted to come out and say that.)

Wendy and Derek,
Can you handle another "your kids are so stinkin' cute" comment? They truly are.

 

[YukiPhnx]

omg, those are awesome blackmail pictures. I have a few pictures of my little brother in dresses too.

Hey Wendy, do you have any pictures of him with lipstick??? Those are the best!

To add to the "race" talk, when I was growing up, I had people of all different nationalities in my elementary school. At the time, I didn't even know there were other "races", they were just my classmates. Heck, I didn't know even know which country most of my classmates were from. Colour and race just didn't matter to me.

I'm lucky to have grown up in a multi-cultural city like Toronto. I've only ever been a victim of racism once or twice in my life. But now that I go to a university in a town that's mostly Anglo-saxon, I'm starting to feel it more.

In the summer, I took a trip out to a small town with my DBF for our anniversary. We must've been the only asians in the town because EVERYBODY was looking at us! Someone even came up to us and asked us where we were from because we were obviously "out of town".

I agree with what yinyanggirls said, but not really about class. In lower class areas, Asian-Americans often get picked on by African and Latino Americans.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Nice update & great pictures! The pics remind me of how cold it was....BRRR!!!!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Hi, Jordan! I can't keep up with the chatter this time (life is a little too crazy), but I'm caught up via the links. I was already laughing at the gas stories at Petals! The kids are getting so big....

 

[Poolrat]

I'm here. Just checking in while I am in Houston in a conference.
Great blackmail pictures- I have a couple of my kids too !

Love the BLT pictures and of course the kids are cute as always.

 

[scottny]

Ok all caught up. Looks like a fun time. such nice toilies you have found.

I loved walking around POP at night.

I was thinking of doing The Wave but not sure.

Will be back again...

 

[DisneyDerek]

Derek, how old is Ashlyn?

Ashlyn is 19.5 months old (born on 8/7/08....missed 8/8/08 by one day since our Dr. was going out of town on 8/8.....too bad because it would have been cool to have that as a birthdate).

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Hi Jordan! I've been Lurking for a few days now and just caught up....whew! I wanted to tell you that I am sorry for some peoples ignorance. I have been through something similar however not to that degree. You see, I am a true blue Ginger Midget! (I love the Sherlock Holmes movie for coining that phrase). I am of 100% Irish descent. That means that I am barely 4 ft 11 inches with red hair and COVERED with freckles......did you hear me? I mean covered! Ok so maybe my situation isn't similar to yours but I was picked on and teased and people made me cry almost every day of my childhood life. I eventually grew up and realized that there isn't another person on this planet that looks like me! I am grown now and have kids of my own and I have made it a point to teach them that everyone is different and that noone is better than anyone else!
Here I am.....No makeup No nothing.....this was a few years ago right after I had my son.....I look stoned but I swear I wasn't.....at least I dont think I was.....lol

and yes I know my hair is brownish in this picture......it was the only time in my life that I have dyed my hair and was not pleased.....I felt it took something away from being me!

 

[englishrose47]

I've been known to use that phrase, but very infrequently as mine are more the sonic booms...

I second that emotion !!!!

haven't we all....??/

Not me !!!!!!!

 

[englishrose47]

No offense intended for the 50ish crowd...I was just saying that given Jordan's poofing incidents, he seemed like a better candidate for promoting Depends over Momentum (unless momentum refers to something else in motion).
:

Well spoken Derek!!! The pix of the kids are just toooo cute !!!

 

[MaryAz]

Super cute kiddos! What a fun (chilly) morning.

 

[DisneyDerek]

Here's one of my favorite memories from BLT, beautiful sunrises, despite the cold weather....and hey, this is my first official photo post

Still love (and missing) the BLT.

 

[WendyO]

omg, those are awesome blackmail pictures. I have a few pictures of my little brother in dresses too.

Hey Wendy, do you have any pictures of him with lipstick??? Those are the best!

Ooooh, don't have any lipstick ones (yet)! I think because I don't wear it that much, it's not that accessible to the kids and Erin's not really a girly girl (in the sense that she's all interested in makeup and such) so Dylan's probably in the clear for being a victim of makeup... (now he's old enough to object, I'm sure)

Hee hee. But I do have some with high heels and bracelets and a purse (or would that be a "murse"?)... ha ha.

 

[WendyO]

Wendy and Derek,
Can you handle another "your kids are so stinkin' cute" comment? They truly are.

Fortunately for them, it allows them to get away with a lot more than they probably should.

Just waiting for the awkward ugly stage (ha). I know *I* definitely went through that

 

[All7OfUs]

Pyrate!! You're drop dead gorgeous!! And I mean it!!

Don't change a thing!

 

[DisneyDerek]

Okay, am I a bad dad for posting photos of Dylan in his "baby fat" days?

Here's a photo of our little sumo boy when he was about 7 months old.

Fortunately, he grew out of his baby fat days. He's actually quite skinny these days.

 

[DisneyDerek]

Wendy and Derek,
Can you handle another "your kids are so stinkin' cute" comment? They truly are.

Thanks for the kudos. They're cute now....until they become teenagers