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[quote=Anonymous]We are a black/white mixed race family. First 3 kids in private I’m DC so I had an unrealistic belief that all environments would be similar. When our 4th came along, needed a larger house and  we moved to a very white area of N Arlington and put DC in a very white public school. I genuinely never gave race a thought. I’m not American so that is probably why.

I was soon sadly disabused of my former belief. My child was miserable. I would not say the children were intrinsically racist but having just one child of color in the class (and clearly non in their broader lives) meant all their questions and weird notions were concentrated on my DC. DC became so self conscious of race which led to self hatred. DC had barely any play dates and felt very isolated. I have 3 other kids in 2 other schools with which to compare and I was and still am shocked by the difference. 
Pulled DC out (too late in my opinion) and forked out for private and a lot of the damage is being reversed.

In terms of the neighborhood, compared with our previous which was a little more diverse and very very friendly, after 4 years only one one family speaks to us and their child happens to be at the same school as my other children. No invitations have been reciprocated and we have given up and socialize mainly with parents at the private schools in DC. Our friends in N Arlington are all from previous neighborhood and all mixed couples (white/East Asian, white/Latin American, white/SE Asian).

There is a school bus stop just outside our house and I once found a wallet belonging to one of the kids across the street. I took it over and the husband answered the door. I handed the wallet over and before I could open my mouth to explain he gets in my face and starts screaming at me asking why I had his son’s wallet, where I’d found it. I was too stunned to respond and as I stood there open mouthed his wife came and recognized me as the across the street neighbor and explained the same to her husband who went bright red and started spluttering something unintelligible. I was so sad as I was with the DC who had had the terrible experience at the public school (we were out walking the dogs).
I never ever gave race a thought when choosing our house but, sad to say, I should have. 
Choose wisely OP.[/quote]

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