24 Hudson Valley Parent
n
January 2019
to our children as if they were some
kind of genetic science experiment."
Some of the obvious and invisible
challenges might go unseen. "Young
children may not have verbal or
cognitive skills to process how they
feel and a lot of times there is an
automatic hit to self-esteem," says
D'Arcy. There can be a range of
emotions but the best thing you can
do is to remain patient with him.
O'Brien Edwards says, "My
8-year-old daughter knows that just
like all children, she has physical
and personality traits of both her
parents," and insists that with time
things get easier. "Marcella is happy
and comfortable with the fact that
many kids don't look exactly like
their parents."
Find and show support
You may want to consider going
to counseling or joining a support
group as a family or individual.
The pediatrician can be a friend
and advocate in promoting good
mental health as you tackle this
contemporary issue. It will be
comforting to see that you are
not alone.
As your child grows and develops
through the various ages and stages
you will hopefully find that you
and other Hudson Valley families
have more in common than you
do differences. "Love matters,
happiness matters, respect matters,"
says O'Brien Edwards.
"It doesn't matter what our
ethnicities are. Each child is
handsome in his own way,"
Vianney-Benca agrees.
Jamie Lober, author of Pink
Power (GetPinkPower.com), is
dedicated to providing information
on women's and pediatric health
topics.
INTERRACIAL FAMILIES
(Continued from Page 23)
