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silly racism (?) question
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Anonymous
| My sister's nanny is African American and my sister wants to buy her daughter a birthday gift. Do you think it is rude and/or offensive to buy her an African-American baby doll? |
Anonymous
|
No, I don't think it's rude. I would think it was considerate.
And this has nothing to do with racism, by the way. |
Anonymous
| OP, I know, I just couldn't think of a better way to characterize what is giving us pause... |
Anonymous
| I don't think it's rude/offensive. But why not ask the mom what her daughter wants/needs? |
zumbamama
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|
No, I don't think it's rude. I think it is thoughtful.
Or you could get her a set of little dolls of different ethnicities. That's what I gave my tri-racial niece. |
Anonymous
| Very thoughtful, I think. |
Anonymous
| I'm black and I think that's a very thoughtful gift. |
Anonymous
|
Mom of bi-racial kids here. You sound like you're trying to be sensitive, but I don't think you need to walk on eggshells.
My personal experience is that most little girls enjoy baby dolls of any race, and with societal changes like international adoption, bi-racial marriages, multi-ethnic families, etc., it's a neat thing for kids to be able to "play family" where the "kids" and the "parents" don't need to all be of the same race. The only doll gifts I've ever been "offended" by are the Barbies/Bratz dolls that come with slutty outfits and tattoos (yes, DD actually received one of these as a gift, complete with thigh-high boots and a lace-up bustier). |
Anonymous
| Get 2 dolls. One white and one African American. |
Anonymous
|
OP, it's a little unclear, but is the doll for your sister's daughter (your niece) or for the nanny's daughter?
Either way, I think it's fine. We got my dd, who is white, an African-American early on, as perhaps her second doll. The doll is much beloved by both my kids. We've since gotten other dolls who look Hispanic and Asian, and one from India wearing a sari. The majority of my kids dolls are still white, but they enjoy having a wide variety of dolls. And if you're buying an African-American doll for an African-American child, that's quite appropritate, too. |
Anonymous
| if you're not sure why don't you get something else? it's so easy to buy gifts for girls... |
Anonymous
| I assume you're white? As an African-American mother, I would think it quite thoughtful of you to buy my child an African-American doll (unless it's one of those ones with hideously stereo-typed features - hopefully those aren't around anymore). My daughter could probably care less, but it would say something to me as the mother that you appreciate that I might want my daughter to have doll babies that are of her same race. |
Anonymous
We also have dolls of all ethnicities for our DD and these are the dolls she plays "school" with and all the other kids love to play with at our house. They are very cute dolls. That said whenever I buy a doll for a child, I buy one that looks like the child and if I cannot get one, I get a different gift. Only once did I break this rule and I got a doll that was a "friend" (same brand, etc. but with different skin color and hair, etc.) as a doll I had got for the same child the year before, I asked the Mom first. |
Anonymous
| Agree with 13:43. Avoid Bratz. |
Anonymous
| Black mom here! I prob would feel a lil weird if a white person gave my child a white doll. I mean a gift is a gift so any acknowledgement of my child would be welcomed and appreciated. To me, black is the only way to go. |