Babies ethnicity
Hey everyone! So I am mixed - half white half black and my partner is fully black, making my son 3/4 black 1/4 white. On all his forms I always wonder what ethnicity to tick!! I mean I know he is technically mixed as he has more than one ethnicity but would you say someone with 3 black grandparents is black or mixed? I always end up ticking mixed just to be completely accurate but I’m thinking ahead to when my son may start asking about skin colour etc, do I tell him he is black or mixed?? Curious to know what other mamas would do!
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He’s black.
My son is the opposite 3/4 white and 1/4 black and I put Mixed - White and Black on his nursery form. 🤷♀️
My sons mixed, and if he was with a white person and had mainly white kids (and asked my opinion 😂), I would say to put down mixed. But everyone is different, and it's completely ok to say one thing now and for your child to decide that it doesn't describe his ethnicity later.
My children are mixed, as am myself and my partner and have multiple ethnicities.
I had to use a calculator to work it out.. they’re 12.5% Afro-Caribbean, 50% Caucasian and 37.5% South Asian. I don’t think genetics particularly work like this though.. as it’s draw of the bag in terms of what features they get.
IMO They’re still mixed if they have something else other than one ethnicities. I wouldn’t cast off my children’s blackness, because they are more Asian and white than anything. But that’s my choice.
When my children are old enough to ask, I’ll explain to them that people come in a variety of shades and colours.. and we’re all different and unique in our own way. But what matters is in the inside. And when they’re old enough, they’ll be getting a more detailed explanation, as I think it’s important to learn about our background to help our sense of identity.
I think it’s fine to tick that option as it’s just factual information. 50/50 always seems to be the default people think of, but theres lots of ways to be mixed. And someone’s ethnicity on paper doesn’t always match up to their ‘expected’ appearance or how they might identify. If nothing else I think being factual on paperwork is important for medical history.
Though as he grows he might feel he identifies more as black and might be perceived as black by others.
I have friends with the same mix as your son who refer to themselves as black as they feel that identity fits them best. I also have friends who are white ‘passing’ with one black parent who identify as mixed because they are and it would be disregarding a huge part of their identity to say they were white.
Your son’s only so little still I don’t think everything needs to be pre-decided now. And he’ll ultimately identify however he does as he grows.
What does your partner think?
My son is mixed 3/4 white and 1/4 black African so when he was born he got category E which is white and black African
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