Kids & racism

This one is from my drafts. This one was written when blogdom was discussing racism-shilpa shetty issue remember.
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Color discrimination is something that Jellybean doesn't understand yet. But I know, she is a little disappointed when stupid neighbours and strangers indulge the peapod and act as if she isn't standing right there. My heart breaks when I see that look on her face where she is staring at the lady who is not looking her way but all eyes for the peapod. I pick her up, hug her and tread off in a different direction. But she keeps struggling to get a glimpse of that stranger with the peapod. I keep thinking, can I shield her? Should I? I can not keep educating stupid people but I just don't entertain such people. Maybe its human behaviour, I don't know. The twins were like this years ago. The jellybean's mom wheatish and the other fair and people kept discriminating even in school. There were kids younger than us who would call her the black-didi. There were people who used to identify her as the black child. It hurts a child and I do not know how people can comfortably be blind to that fact.

Inspite of it all she never got into a complex over her complexion or hated the other twin because she was fair. It was because my parents never made a big deal of it. Infact my mom used to call her the black beauty. Straight facts. My Dad used to just say how he thought she was the prettiest of the 3 anyway. He wasn't exaggerating, he wasn't pampering, he would just state it. He wasn't even looking for approval from any of us. She was punished everytime she went out of line, even if it was because someone called her black. There have been times when I thought it was bloody unfair and have fought dad. But nothing changed. All 3 of us were dealt with equally, no bonus points for being either fair or dark. The one girl I haven't spoken to after a fight in school was the one who hit the jellybean's mom. I don't remember what trigged it, but I was really mad. I hit them back and walked(ran) away never to talk to them again. The families were family friends then and even now, but we kids have never spoken after that. Its probably also because we havent met since school. I remember her everytime I go for my communion. Silly, I know but its never come to me from within. I was just too hurt.

I have no doubts the Jellybean will grow to be a charming & confident little girl like her mom and all these will be forgotten. She like her mom will sit and make fun of it all one day. She will find her own ways to tackle racism or discrimination based on her complexion. Parents will discipline kids with broken hearts knowing their kids were provoked. But its a lesson to teach our kids to love beyond color & appearances by doing so ourselves.