Obama wins: How do you explain this day to your children?

[morningpaper]

How are you explaining the news to your children?

Do you mention race and if so, how?

My children and I think most of their friends don't even notice skin colour and that's great I'm just hoping he will make a good president and that the truly important issues, ie. his policies and beliefs, are not being overshadowed by his skin colour. I don't know too much about American politics, but I've heard that his pro-life policies (ie. ideas on restricting the abortion laws) are not good (which makes me personally less inclined to be joyful about him becoming president - and also to me personally is more important than his skin colour - but that's just me!!)

My 7 and 8 yos had done Rosa Parks on the bus at school, so that made it easy. Though they insist that Barack isn't black he's brown, and Daddy is brown too (he's white, he just tans easily). they haven't quite got the hang of race rather than suntan.

Haven't read the whole thread... I started to tell DS (9yo) the news, but then left it at "USA has a new president".
I feel like making a big deal of his skin colour would be counterproductive, it would be pointing out racial differences to him.
I am more pleased with the election result, personally, anyway, about Obama's philosophy and outlook, than the historicness of him being black.

Margaret Thatcher already broke the old-white-man mold for Britain, now Obama has broken it for USA, this is obviously a good thing, but most important is that he turns out to be reasonably competent at the job. And THAT is not yet achieved. McCain-Palin would have broken the mould, too, had they been elected (Palin being a woman), so either way the election was going to be an historic event.

HI Countess I know you know!

I think thinking kids dont notice skin colour is a mistake though. They do but whether or not it is an issue is the real thing. I have always hoped that for my kids generation it will be less of an issue but I dont see that. I also think there is far more homophobia around amongst young children and teenagers than I guess we would like to believe.

I like to think that I am bringing my children up to be politically aware and to fight injustice and frankly what age they are when that starts makes no odds to me.

I have to say though, as a way of teaching children the wrongs of racism this does offer a great opportunity.

Obama was exceptionally gracious to McCain. Again I would concentrate on the man and what he offers as opposed to simply focusing on the race issue.

Oh I am not saying she doesn't notice that people are different colours. To her it makes no difference though. She says for eg "he is brown like Sydney" (one of her best mates)(natch )

It's not that she doesn't recognise it! Obv she isn't blind

DS, 7, will be very pleased.
he feels very strongly (based on nothing more than listening to us) that Bush is Not Good (but he does know something of the war etc), and he knows that 'the brown one' will be the first 'brown' president. This from simply watching the news.

I completely agree with Fillyjonk. DS is mixed race, and is well aware that race can be an issue - there have been incidents at school which have resulted in sensible and constructive action, but children of BAME origin will and do experience and / or witness racism. Yes, even in this day and age, even from people of this enlightened generation, and even in cosmospolitan globalised london, so it isn't practical not to deal with it at all. The tightrope is Mabanana points about being careful not to confer victim status.

Mainly we have talked to DS in terms of 'Obama being the president who will do more for people without much money, and for other countries' - and hope, with fingers crossed, and in comparison to the Republicans at least, there remains some truth in that.

I definately wnated to raise the fact that he was black because I dont think we can ignore that america and britain have been hugely affected by racism, by pretending there is not as issue does not stop there being an issue it just postpones the point when our kids are affected by it.

I had a chat about this with dd (6.6) last night as she was going to sleep, telling her it was going to be an exciting night because of the US election. I did get myself in a bit of a tangle about whether to mention Obama's skin colour but in the end I did, partly because they have just been doing Black History Month at school. Although I should say my explanation about Apartheid (in the context of her being asked to learn three facts about Nelson Mandela for homework) weren't a great success. I tried to explain about segregation and the impact it had had on the lives of black people in South Africa - eg (among many other things) that they weren't allowed to use public toilets that were designated only for whites. When I asked her later if she remembered what Apartheid was, she said: 'People with white skin were free to do what they liked and people with black skin weren't allowed to go to the toilet...'

I hope this sends a clear message to racists though that they will not succeed.

As for my kids, their world changed last night even if it showed that prejudice will not win and that people have chances. I will wait to hear what was said at school knowing that it is the playground that prejudice is given free rein.

Oh it's fantastic isn't it?
DD came into the bedroom at 6.30 jubilant as she'd logged on as soon as her alarm went off to get the results

It's a wonderful day for the world - this one gesture from America has warmed many a heart chilled by the disasterous Bush government.

very house here.

Buda, his great-grandfather was from Moneygal, Co Laois! Big celebrations there this morning![girn]

My daughters are acutely aware of colour - in that both their parents are mixed race, but Mummy has white skin and Daddy has brown skin and they are white/olivey. They have lots of friends of different colours. And DD1 has been doing lots about slavery at school.

So today I told her 'this is wonderful: a black man has become President of the US, and just 50 years ago he wouldn't have been able to sit in a cafe or sit down on the bus. It is wonderful.' And she agreed.

DD1 is 4.10

I had the news on this morning before school. She noticed that the same footage was re-running (Obama speech mainly) and was asking why it kept being shown

At 4.10 don't think she would get the significance of the race issue so didn't go there

But instead tried to introduce the idea that every country has someone who is 'in charge' and that the people who live in that country get to choose who they want in charge. And that most of the American people wanted Obama to win when they choose him yesterday. And because of that they are all very happy and having a party

DS is just two so won't understand any of it! However I think it would be a huge shame for people to politely avoid the skin colour issue when discussing President Obama's victory (sorry, forgive the cheesiness - just had to say it that way). It is a huge, huge deal, particularly as someone on R4 put it poignantly this morning: Obama has achieved Martin Luther King's dream in an astonishing way. The US constitution that 'all men are created equal' was based on an assumption of slave ownership - i.e. '"all men" except our slaves who we convince ourselves aren't really human in the same way as us'. In one (long) fell swoop, Obama's victory has publicly triumphed over that assumption and the racism that oppressed many blacks in the US and other countries.

This is not, sadly, to say that by becoming the first black (or multi-ethnic) president of the USA he has single-handedly brought an end to all racism. God, if only! But it is a momentous occasion and I think black people everywhere feel that very strongly. I will even act completely out of character and send him a message of congratulations.

What kind of president he will be of course remains to be seen. He is, after all, still a politician like all the rest of them.

I didn't tell DD1 'even a black man can be president'. I said, 'a black man is president'. Of course it's important not just that a black person is doing this job, but that the US has moved so far that black and white people have elected a black person.

sad my dd 15 down and said "watch this"

she did say " is it nearly finished yet" and looked a bit bored.

"you will thank me in twenty years and THIS day is a day of social and cultural significance and you can say that your mum made you watch it on her laptop and you remember being bored. then you can explain to your children what a laptop is"

"i'm just glad a black person won it" she said

"err why?" said i

" well there is a lot of racism in america, and if a black person can become president it will give hope to other people, not just black people, but like...poor people and people like that"

"hope to the disenfranchised" said i

"is that what i just said"
"yes"

"yeah, well that then"

done. thanks MP needed to be done

MI - very well put.

Yes, I agree

I wouldn't mention teh race thing. I would tell them a Democrat finally got back in!

This is an important day. My DS is 4. He confused Lewis Hamilton with Obama. That not bad as both men won races and represent there country. My son will be English unless he choose not to be. The important thing will be he is a free man. I must go to work as food is not free. ha ha

I feel hope that for dc such as my dds (both under 5) they may well not 'get' the significance of Obama's race until they are taught it...

I told DS1 (almost 6) that the US had had an election and that the country had a new president. We talked a bit about elections and how voting works and also about how everyone (well, the grown ups) in America had to decide which man they thought would be the best person to have as their president. I deliberately avoided mentioning race as at this age I don't want him to think that race had any influence on the election results or on Obama's presidency. DS1 was quite intrigued by the conversation and by the coverage on the TV, I think.

Of course if DS mentions race I will discuss it. That could be a lengthy conversation, though, judging on how long the WW2/Adolf Hitler discussion went on last week! That started with "Mummy, do you know about 'itler?" I was a bit taken aback that they had been discussing it in the playground, which prompted his question.

We have been talking about this for months and will continue. DH is British, I am American, and two of our four children are black and biracial. We are over the moon for the possibilities.

this morning we listened to his speech on radio 4 at full blast while having breakfast. i couldnt hold back my tears, and dd1 (2y9m) started whining that she wanted to watch cbeebies. i said to her, not today, we are listening to Barack Obama, it's a special day. after Jon Humphris came on she said "that's not Rack Bama mummy!".

indeed not.

his being black is only part of what makes him special and historic i feel. i think it's the fact that he is young, an outsider, a symbol of self belief, of hard work etc etc. if my dds were older i would try to impress on them that with hard work everything is possible.