Prejudice people suck!

[witchywoman]

My daughter is 6, and was playing with a friend who is also 6. My daughter has a black baby doll, because that was what she wanted. Anyway, they were playing baby dolls the other day, and her friend told my daughter she didn't like her black baby doll. My daughter asked why. She told my daughter because she don't like black people!! I mean, at 6?! The family has always been nice and Im not real good friends with them, but talk to them, and our daughters play together. Im wondering if the whole family is like that and taught their daughter that, or if she came up with that all on her own.

[kjauron]

I think it could very well be innocent, something she feels on her own because they look different from her, especially if she hasn't had much exposure. I remember being right around that age watching a baseball game and not wanting to root for a certain player because I didn't like the way he looked (he was black). I said it casually to my family who promptly took me aside and gave me a long talking to about it.

[pinkiemarie]

Idk if I can agree with Kjauron. Yes, it's possible for kids to come up with stuff like that on their own and it's possible that the family is unaware and innocent...however, at that age, kids are usually still pretty innocent and they just see people as people. They don't tend to come up with their own prejudices for a few more years.

[withing]

I dunno, I kinda agree with kjauron. If this girl, say, has a problem with a black playmate in another environment, she may just lump all black people together. Just like if she'd been bit by a dog, she may not like all dogs (or all dogs of that breed). Kids of that age will do that sometimes.

To be certain, I would ask her next time it comes up, or sound the family out on it. It's better to know what's going on than to believe that the family is racist without justification and take away your daughter's playmate. Most racists aren't ashamed of their views, so almost any casual conversation will bring the topic up... Ask them if they think President Obama is doing a good job.

[crtclms]

My understanding is children below a certain age don't really understand the repercussions of saying "I don't like people of this color." A black child might say "I want to be a white police officer when I grow up," not because of self-loathing, but because the police officer that came to their class to speak to them was white. This not to say that as children age, they don't pick up on negative messages, but it is hard to judge what young children are responding to.

That doesn't mean the child isn't getting bad messages at home, but it could just be the child is responding to differences, not actual race. Apparently, children as young as 6 months notice differences in skin color.

I was always fascinated by skin color when I was a child, I actually sought out children of color. I think it was just my particular way of recognizing the difference, not that I was noticing some kind of racial injustice.