Brown Lady

Today on the way home from a park play date with our moms group, I swung by a grocery store to purchase a few items for dinner.  While we were waiting at the check stand for our turn, James turned to me and said "That's a brown lady." referring to the cashier behind the counter.  She was African American and brown was a very accurate description referencing the color of her skin.  Instead of being horrified or flabbergasted (neither of which I was), I got down to James' level, and told him, yes, that lady does have brown skin.  Then I went on to explain that skin comes in many colors, and we even did a quick comparison of our skin colors and how they are different.

Sometimes I think people like to make a big deal out of something that can be addressed with a little knowledge.  I thought this was a perfect opportunity to talk about skin color, and I used it as a teachable moment.  Had I instead hushed James or acted embarrassed, not only would it be a confusing message to James...as in it is not okay to have different colored skin or that skin color is a cause for embarrassment...but I imagine the lady behind the counter would have felt more awkward as well. 

I have heard it mentioned by someone with special needs that they would rather have someone answer their child appropriately rather than ignore that they are obviously different.  I try to keep this in mind when I volunteer with special needs kids at church.  I have had young children ask questions like "Why does she sit in this chair (wheelchair)?" and I explain that her legs do not work the same, and she must use the chair to get around or other such questions/answers. 

I think the same applies in many situations...this being one of them.