1/ The struggle is real & starts early. She is surrounded by loving black family + friends, & has all the stuff at home - black dolls, books, wall art, etc. And yet:

Daughter (3.5yo): I don’t want brown skin, I want light skin

Me: Brown skin is beautiful

Her: No, it’s not

2/ I know all the things to say - now and over the coming years. And of course knew this would come up at some point. But. It still hurts.

3/ Also interesting that my older son has never said this. People constantly comment on how my daughter looks - so pretty, so cute, your shoes, your dress, etc. Literally never happens for son. No surprise that she is thinking about her skin color-another aspect of how she looks