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Playdate question - 2 mommies  

post #1 of 11
Thread Starter 
I am feeling a little frustrated and stupid to put it mildly that I am not sure how to handle this, but I figure I'd rather that I look like an arse to you all than mess this one up. Here goes...

Dd's good friend in kindergarten is coming over to play on Friday with his sister and his mommies. I'm over the moon because he seems like a really nice kid AND he has a twin sister too (dd has a twin brother ) and mom1 sounded really nice on the phone. We moved this past year and it's always cool to meet new friends - for all of us.

Here's my question: Do I need to say anything ahead of time to dd and ds (age 5 1/2)? If so, what? I mean.... this is a child who doesn't yet know that children can be raised by ONE parent. So far we haven't known anyone with little kids to get divorced and the kids are mostly media free (and even Little Bear's parents are married lol), and so it hasn't exactly come up. And this is her first friend who is not in a traditional family, i.e., with mom and dad married.

Thoughts? Suggestions? My m.o. is usually not to do a whole schpiel ahead of time and if it comes up just shrug it off like "families come in all shapes and sizes" sort of thing. But I don't want to blow it either, and I DEFINITELY don't want to be at a loss when dd questions me IN FRONT OF this little boy and his mommies, which, knowing her, she will. She's definitely at the stage where she would notice if someone were calling 2 people mommy.... and ask about it.... loudly.
post #2 of 11
Just because it's two mommies and not a mommy and daddy doesn't mean you have to handle it any differently. If/when she asks, just say what you said here "families come in all shapes and sizes" and answer any questions she has.

Trust me, it's not the first time the mommies of her friends will have heard a child ask the question ;-) They aren't going to be offended by a child asking and your answer is pretty typical, I think.
post #3 of 11
I agree with the PP. I think that it will speak volumes, both to the mommies and to your kids, to not make a big deal about it if dd asks. If you give a huge spiel to your kids prior to the fact, they might think it is a big deal. And if you shrug it off as "normal" (couldn't think of a better word, sorry!) in front of the moms, they will think that it really ISN'T a big deal to you, and that is likely to make them feel even more comfortable with you.
post #4 of 11
I wholeheartedly agree with the PP.
On a similar note, one of my closest friends has an almost 5 year old DD (who has grown up her whole life knowing that DP and I are married) who has started asking why DS does not have a daddy and why he has 2 mommies. I can't remember *exactly* what we said but it was most definately along the lines of "all familes are different", DP and I love each other like her mommy and daddy love each other, etc. It seemed to work just fine for her
post #5 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Periwinkle View Post
I DEFINITELY don't want to be at a loss when dd questions me IN FRONT OF this little boy and his mommies, which, knowing her, she will. She's definitely at the stage where she would notice if someone were calling 2 people mommy.... and ask about it.... loudly.
If it were me I would ask the moms what they use- if you don't know already and when the Dc and their Mommies arrive Just do introductions all around-This is "X and Y and their Mommy and Mama" if Dd asks questions, just answer them simply and clearly-yep, X and Y have two mommies. You could explain in a simple sentennce before like others suggested-"X and Y are coming over to play with their two mommies"

Dd goes to a school where there are other two-mom families and we know other two-dad families too, so we often have conversation about family makeup.
post #6 of 11
I would tell the child ahead of time. "Oh, did you know Sam and his mamas are coming over to play on Wednesday? Have you met his mamas? He has two mamas - Sarah and Beth." Then if she wants to ask questions, she can. And you can do the "families come in all shapes and sizes" thing.
post #7 of 11
I think it's great to ask this forum about this issue, and it sounds the OP has come up with a fine plan for the immediate future.

But I also want to gently suggest (particularly for other people reading this, who might have younger children), that it's useful for kids to know about all different kind of families all along--so that if it's not something that comes up based on your immediate crowd, it's useful to initiate the concept of different kinds of families, in even earliest discussions of family structure. Even if other media are out of the question, there are plenty of books that represent lots of different kinds of families (in fact, I think books represent different kinds of families much more than most other media I know). And even without books, once kids are verbal--and even before they're verbal themselves--it's possible to talk to them about things that aren't in their immediate experience.

To me, this "normalizing" all along--talking about a bigger world than the child's--would do more to mitigate heterosexism in kids than shrugging off differences as they present themselves in a child's life.

And I also think that it's never too late to start conversations about difference with children--because even if they don't say something, they are noticing, and if those things they are noticing aren't a topic of conversation with their parents, parents have less of an opportunity to discuss their values around those issues, and kids may instead pick up other cultural messages from their peers.
post #8 of 11
Maybe see if your local library has a age appropriate book with different kinds of families that you could read together and as you read along gently talk to your kids about it.

A couple I found on Amazon:

The Family Book by Todd Parr
Reading level: Ages 4-8

PreSchool-Grade 2-As he did in The Mommy Book and The Daddy Book (both Little, Brown, 2002), Parr introduces children to an array of families. Whimsical illustrations featuring neon colors and figures outlined in black show big ones and small ones, and families that look alike and relatives who look just like their pets. The art features both human and animal figures; thus, pigs depict both a family that likes to be clean, and one that likes to be messy. Some families include stepmoms, stepdads, stepsisters, or stepbrothers; some adopt children. Other families have two moms or two dads, while some children have only one parent. Interspersed with the differences among families are the ways they are alike: all like to hug each other, are sad when they lose someone they love, enjoy celebrating special days together, and can help each other to be strong. This concept book celebrating the diversity of family groups is distinguished by its sense of fun.

It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
Reading level: Ages 4-8

(The Okay Book) combines rainbow colors, simple drawings and reassuring statements in this optimistic book. His repetitive captions offer variations on the title and appear in a typeface that looks handcrafted and personalized. A fuschia elephant stands against a zingy blue background ("It's okay to have a different nose") and a lone green turtle crosses a finish line ("It's okay to come in last"). A girl blushes at the toilet paper stuck to her shoe ("It's okay to be embarrassed") and a lion says "Grr," "ROAR" and "purrr" ("It's okay to talk about your feelings"). Parr cautiously calls attention to superficial distinctions. By picturing a smiling girl with a guide dog ("It's okay to need some help"), he comments on disability and he accounts for race by posing a multicolored zebra with a black-and-white one. An illustration of two women ("It's okay to have different Moms") and two men ("It's okay to have different Dads") handles diverse families sensitively this could cover either same-sex families or stepfamilies and also on the opposite page, a kangaroo with a dog in its pouch ("It's okay to be adopted"). He wisely doesn't zero in on specifics, which would force him to establish what's "normal." Instead, he focuses on acceptance and individuality and encourages readers to do the same

Who's in a Family by Robert Skutch
Reading level: Ages 4-8

Beginning with a traditional nuclear family and ending with blank spaces in which the child reader is instructed to "draw a picture of your family," this slight book catalogues multicultural contemporary family units, including those with single parents, lesbian and gay parents, mixed-race couples, grandparents and divorced parents. Kevin and his brother like their kimono-clad grandmother to help them with their jigsaw puzzles, while Ricky lives with two families. "Aunt Amanda and Uncle Stan," pictured riding in a blue convertible with their pets, "don't have any children at all" but are "still a family," says the narrator, because "they say Mouser and Fred are their 'babies.'" Because "animals have families, too," the text describes elephant, lion, chimpanzee and dog families as well as human families. (A human family headed by a mother is "like the chimpanzee family. Mama chimp raises the babies by herself, with the help of any older children she may have.") Nienhaus's lackluster illustrations, the schoolmarmish tone of the text and the comparisons with wild animals all tend to undercut the final definition of a family as "the people who love you the most!"

All Families Are Special by Norma Simon
Reading level: Ages 4-8

When a teacher asks her students to tell about their families, each child speaks of a different configuration. There are big, small, and extended families. Children live with a mom and dad, grandparents, two same-gender parents, or stepparents. The youngsters mention adoption, divorce, and death of a parent and pets. Then, they discuss the good and bad times that families have together. The tone throughout is upbeat and positive. The bright watercolor illustrations depict smiling, multicultural people living in immaculate middle-class surroundings. This is a good book for introducing nontraditional families to children, but some readers might find the sunny cheerfulness unrealistic. Ann Morris's Families (HarperCollins, 2000) represents a variety of family situations with color photographs of multicultural families and a simple text, but does not include same-gender parents.



Molly's Family by Nancy Garden
Reading level: Ages 4-8

PreSchool-Grade 1-To get ready for kindergarten Open School Night, Molly draws a picture of her family to hang on the wall-herself, Mommy, Mama Lu, and their puppy. After seeing the picture, her classmates tell her, "No one has two mommies." Despite her teacher's efforts to be supportive, the child is still concerned. That night, her parents explain, "we decided we had so much love that we wanted to share it with a baby." Thus, one of them is her birth mother; the other an adoptive parent. Still, Molly leaves her drawing home the next day. With further matter-of-fact reassurance by her teacher and the budding understanding that all families are different, Molly, and indeed the whole class, grows to accept her own family, and she proudly hangs her picture on the wall. While the children in the story are not shy about expressing their feelings, the author diffuses any tension by remaining focused on logic: Molly's family is as she claims. By tying this specific household to the general diversity within all families, Garden manages to celebrate them all. The soft colored-pencil drawings with their many realistic details depict a room full of active kindergartners. There is a squat sweetness to the characters as they work together to make everything look and feel right

Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
Reading level: Ages 4-8

The story of Heather, a preschooler with two moms who discovers that some of her friends have very different sorts of families. Juan, for example, has a mommy and a daddy and a big brother named Carlos. Miriam has a mommy and a baby sister. And Joshua has a mommy, a daddy, and a stepdaddy. Their teacher Molly encourages the children to draw pictures of their families, and reassures them that "each family is special" and that "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other." In the afterword, the author (whose other children's books include Matzo Ball Moon) explains that although she grew up in a Jewish home, in a Jewish neighborhood, there were no families like hers on the television or in picture books. She came to regard her family as somehow "wrong," since there was no Christmas tree in the living room and no Easter egg hunt. Whatever the religious right may wish to think about nontraditional families, there is no denying that any child enrolled in an American school will encounter friends with single parents, gay parents, stepparents, or adoptive parents. This new, revised version of Heather Has Two Mommies offers an enjoyable, upbeat, age-appropriate introduction to the idea of family diversity. The book is essential for children (ages 2 to 6) with gay parents or family members, and a great addition to a Rainbow Curriculum.
post #9 of 11
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by simcon View Post
To me, this "normalizing" all along--talking about a bigger world than the child's--would do more to mitigate heterosexism in kids than shrugging off differences as they present themselves in a child's life.

And I also think that it's never too late to start conversations about difference with children--because even if they don't say something, they are noticing, and if those things they are noticing aren't a topic of conversation with their parents, parents have less of an opportunity to discuss their values around those issues, and kids may instead pick up other cultural messages from their peers.
I completely agree with this. It's funny, because I do this BIG TIME with issues of race and for example, about the real story of Thanksgiving. Bought them books about it, etc., even though the truth is they live in a fairly white area and most of our friends are therefore white - dd's class has no children of color and ds' has one girl from China who was adopted. Also we do this in a major way with issues of classism. We talk about it, read books about it. For example, I have maybe 4 or 5 books about the Wampanoag Indians and how Thanksgiving really went down (or didn't), books about living in Appalachia, being homeless, being poor in America (not scary books, just ways to open their eyes to the larger world around them). We make a HUGE deal all year long about giving back, donating our time, money and things to our community, the kids are extremely involved in donating to charity, and so on. But this scenario - the aforementioned upcoming playdate with "2 mommies" - made me realize, holy smokes, we're pretty much not doing crap re: warding off homophobia. And I totally agree that the way we live and the people we live around do not give us a free pass on saying "sheesh... it just hasn't come up".

: on the books. Also wanted to add, we have a great book called "Everywhere Babies" which shows families of all sorts, and they LOVE it (it's a fabulous book too!). We talk a lot about it, but it is more of a toddler book... time for an update.

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions.

And it sticks out to me and I
post #10 of 11
Just a note - the Todd Pharr books are super-easy. We've been reading them since she was about one, and they are fine, I think, for much younger than age 4. Also, "And Tango Makes Three" is a great book about a gay penguin family (and a true story) which would be great for early preschool age and up.

We have "Heather Has Two Mommies" but I personally find it not very well written or illustrated, and I dislike the fact that the little girl, who after all has presumably had two mommies for some time, cries at preschool when she realizes this fact (for the first time???) I think I've shared this on here before, but my daughter once said, "I'm really glad I have two moms because that way I have an extra!" I would like to see a book where it's not a big issue or conflict for the child... anyone have a suggestion?

Anyway, not to derail. The book suggestions are great, as is the advice to deal with this, if possible, long before a specific situation comes up!
post #11 of 11
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diane B View Post
I would like to see a book where it's not a big issue or conflict for the child... anyone have a suggestion?
I think this is a very common treatment for ANY "issue" book for children. When we were moving, we looked all over the place for books about moving to a new place, and they were all "she was scared the first day of school" and "he was worried he'd have no friends" etc. And I'm like, wtf???? These thoughts never occured to my kids. Also noticed this with books about the birds & the bees. A lot of them I've seen are "we know this is a really scary and really icky topic but..."

This is a little OT... but rolling with it because these sorts of lists are always helpful to me...

Amazing, well-written, beautifully illustrated children's books (age 4-8) either directly about poverty/class or that allow a lot of great jumping off discussions about class and poverty... without pitying poor people or stereotyping or doing the white man's burden thing:

When I Was Young In The Mountains
A Day's Work (also fantastic re: issues of immigrants & treatment of workers)
Hey, Al
The Empty Pot
Brenda Brave (out of print)

Children's books about Thanksgiving and Wampanoag Indians that tell the truth without being horrifyingly scary (my 5 year-olds are sensitive and aren't exactly up to hearing about murder and rape etc. yet ):

Tapenum's Day
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving

Children's books about taking care of our environment. being thrifty (recycling and/or simple living, etc.), and respecting the world we live in:

Fireflies
The Little House (Margaret Wise Brown)
Pelle's New Suit
Miss Rumphius
Trees Are Nice
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