When shopping for toys, I always try to find toys that represent my children. There has been an increase in diverse dolls since I was a child. I am happy that there are more mainstream dolls with various shades, such as Barbie, Kenya, Baby Alive, Princess Tiana, Tip, and of course Doc McStuffins. While mainstream…
➠ Continue ReadingNYTimes.com “I am not as smart as the other kids.” That’s what the child told her mother. “There is nothing that infuriates me more than when you don’t do what’s on your paper!” That’s what the teacher Ms. Dial told the child as she struggled with a math problem. In 2014 a concerned teaching assistant…
➠ Continue ReadingI don’t have anything against dolls. I don’t think they make or break a girl’s sense of self. I don’t think they promote domesticity — and I don’t think being domestic is a bad thing! But I do feel that, in the world of children’s toys, their value is overrated. And for that reason I…
➠ Continue ReadingI’m grooming my daughter to become an engineer. No, I’m not going to tell her what career or fields of study to pursue. But, I want to train her brain to tinker away at the world as she manouvers her way through it. When I wrote about encouraging her S.T.E.M. education during infancy, I shared a…
➠ Continue ReadingAs black mothers we know that the world can be unkind to little black girls. That’s why it’s important for us to affirm them at home so they can shine out in the world. Here are 30 books that affirm and empower black girls. True Stories 1. Singing For Dr. King A sweet story about…
➠ Continue ReadingWhen I was young, my dad had a running joke that he would not let me get married until I was 30, 60, or 90. He never said that to my brother. I always laughed it off because I knew he wasn’t serious. I married before age 30, after all. But my husband asked something…
➠ Continue ReadingWhile out on a New Year’s Eve run, I passed by a family loading up in their van. Kids piled in quickly and a woman spoke harshly, “I’ve been calling you and calling you. I’ve been waiting here.” Uh oh, I smiled to myself thinking of how frustrating it is when I’m ready to leave…
➠ Continue ReadingAs I search through hundreds and hundreds of books at the library, trying to find books that will engage my children, I am always happy to find those that are authored by some of my favorite celebrities. In addition to making great music, films or being great athletes or politicians, it is nice to see…
➠ Continue ReadingNot long ago, I was at the store gathering balloons for a graduation when two little Black girls walked up to the customer service representative. The girls asked him if the store had any more Princess Tiana costumes. The customer service rep told them whatever they had on the floor was all they had. The little girls’ faces drooped a bit, but then they went away and…
➠ Continue ReadingI only recently got a peek at what Americans call ‘Princess Culture’ and sort of connected why the little girls all wanted pink frocks that look like 17th century designs, like to wear tiaras and some of them demand that they get every toy they like. This behaviour seems to be a mirror of the…
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