Mother Mistaken for the Nanny of Her Mixed-Race Daughter

Come on people, this is the U.S. where mixed-race is common. The parents sound paranoid and terribly insecure; this behavior will most likely transfer to the children if not kept in check. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being asked if it's your child. Hold your chin up and proudly say "yes, isn't he/she beautiful?" Don't make an act of being offended when it's just curiosity; by showing hurt feelings or dismay you're only showing your own lack of self esteem. I'm olive complected while my children have fair skin & green eyes; I smile and feel proud, it's a compliment. Get over it!

There is absolutely nothing unique about this story. Just ask anyone of color in America. Better yet, ask a white woman who have black children

My wife is caucasian redneck while I am of Filipino background. We have never had anyone question if our children were ours. I guess we have been lucky. What is amusing is when I arrive to a store or restaurant and I tell them I am looking for my wife. Automatically they look for the first Asian or Hispanic person in the room. As for my children, they are confused of what to put on school applications and tests asking what race they are. Are they caucasian? Are the Asian Pacific Islander? And before you say for them to check other, not all of their applications have a box for other. Im curious what other readers of similar situations suggest their children to fill out.
I used to get upset about the things strangers would say to me that were just inappropriate or thoughtless. It ate me up inside. Take for instance my coworker. Because of my Filipino background, she asked me if I or my parents have ever eaten cat. She was serious! I was upset the first time this was asked of me. Now I just say "Heck No", "Dogs are much better":)
Life would be better if we would think before we say and not let words tear us apart.
Mabuhay Y'all!!!

Right on, people can be so curl. You and your daughter are the ones that matter the most and other peoples stuptity is something of a joke. I can relate both of my parents were the type that could tan and then I came along and I was as white and fair completed aws could be, then at the age of 5 I started getting freckles and people would always ask my mother where I got my fair compection from.

I got the same experience with the author, too. When i was picking up my daughter, the babysitter came up to me and asked "are you the nanny?" i was surprised but not upset. I have 2 mixed babies, too. Isn't this very common in this country?

Speaking from experience: My husband and I are are Latinos, olive skinned and brown-eyed with a blond blue-eye baby (he's grown now) - The first year was the toughest and I think my feelings reflected not only my own insecurities, but also my own biases. Our son taught us to no longer look at other peoples' children and make pre-judgments just on appearance - and the double takes are not exclusive to any one group, race or ethnictty - we've been question by even our own family members. I think the lesson here is we need to be less concerned with appearance and more concerened about how we treat each other - by our character and not the color of our skin

I really think she just needs to get over it and stop being so sensitive to people's reactions. Her first thought of "my child will be dark like me" indicated she was comfortable with the thought of her husband perhaps having to answer / deal with these sort of questions and issues since he was fair skinned.

People are people, some are ignorant, some insensitive, some just find it wonderfully diverse (as she herself stated, it IS unusual for the fairer traits to dominate in such a union) and people will just marvel at nature's beauty. In any event just ignore the ones you don't like, enjoy your beautiful daughter and smile :)

Children have problems through life of many kins. So, as sooner they confront them, the stronger they became. This goes for the parents too. Like my husband says, "do your best and F...the rest"
Lady, you got coffee, café con leche or expresso on your arms, the tree of them are good coffees. Congratulations!

I am very have very dark (middle eastern) olive skin and dark hair. My husband has fair skin but dark hair. Until my son was about 12, he had WHITE blond hair. Living in California, people would often assume I was Hispanic, ergo, my son's nanny. Honestly, I never thought a thing about it! Seriously, I was not offended or disturbed....I thought it was just funny!!!! Relax people...enjoy your babies!

Now people know what it has been like for many black people who have had mixed raced/ or lighter skinned children that have gotten worst. My cousin who is white married a black woman, and their son looks more like him. The mother told me the same story that once she and the child. now 6 years old were at Gelson's Market in Newport Beach, CA area where she was treated in the same way when she was trying to prevent her son from having a temper tantrum turning over cans on store shelves because he could not have something. Two white women told her that she did not have the right to admonish the boy because she was the maid. They went so far as to call the store manager and asked for her driver's license and home address. When her husband arrived at the store to find out what the problem was, he found a hysterically sobbing woman who still refuses to shop in stores close to her home, instead driving to Costa Mesa, CA to shop. Racism is a terrible thing that is eating at the core of the human spirit and the heart of America!!! Shame on bigots and racists out there, which may make up 75% of the US. Until your children/grandchildren starting having mixed raced children, then the coin may change to favor them.

People are too sensative.....I am very have very dark (middle eastern) olive skin and dark hair. My husband has fair skin but dark hair. Until my son was about 12, he had WHITE blond hair. Living in California, people would often assume I was Hispanic, ergo, my son's nanny. Honestly, I never thought a thing about it! Seriously, I was not offended or disturbed....I thought it was just funny!!!! Relax people...enjoy your babies!

I haven't gotten any comments yet, but I have brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin and my daughter has blonde hair and blue eyes. My husband's mother and her 4 sisters all have blonde hair and blue eyes, so we're assuming that's where she gets it from

I have dark hair and green eyes and olive skin my baby boy has blond hair and blue eyes and fair skin. He looks like a Mini me of my husband. It's amazing how we carry this lil blessing for nine months and they look nothing like us but it never changes that we would do anything for them. :O)

I'm in a mixed marriage and I found out early, if you can't take comments with a sense of humor, you may be in trouble. Laugh with people about their mistakes, give them a chance to learn. I'm white, my wife if black, people have thought our sons were arabic, latino, black, italian, indian, the whole nine yards. My oldest son has had several latino people walk up to him and start talking in spanish, assuming he's latino as well (he's not even very good in his spanish class) I've been told that my grandsons are very handsome (argh! lol) my wife has also been asked if she's the nanny, our family pediatrician was convinced we'd adopted two pakistani boys. Us, we go through life with our universal children and get a good laugh out of it.

I get the same reaction from people. I was at my daughter's cello recital and one of the parents asked my if I was my daughters nanny. My daughter is biracial so I am light and she is darker than me and even her friends always ask her is she your mother? So I try not to pay much attention so she won't notice anything. I tell her she is mine and we do look alike so I show her pictures of me when I was her age and we do look alike..see

Being a Christian, I learned not to Judge, so our choices out of the rules from the Bible causes unnecessay problems, we are all GODS children, and he created different people for a reason, we choose to make our own decisions not his, and mix and mate he created a race for all so we decide to go out and investigate what would happen if I mixed and matched? We need a real Bible based teacher. Stop letting love be blind!

Oh man its the worst, sometimes they are so mean with their comments, I can totally relate to this story. The nannies know Im the mom so they stay away and the mom's think I am the nanny so they snub me. I'm Latin and my daughter looks Asian as is my husband. I beg him to come with me to everything just so that people will somehow make the connection.

I am a biracial person. When I was little I was very light skinned and people use to ask my mother who I belonged to also. My mom is of Mexican heritage and my father is Irish/Norweign. Over the years my skin has gotten darker and my children have light skin. Its others hang up not mine, I love being biracial and when people ask me what I am I say AMERICAN.

Mixed race? People from India are considered Caucasian as are people of German-Irish ancestry. Different skin color yes, but mixed race no. It's only melanin people.