One of my earliest memories as a kid was sitting in the bathtub. When summer came around, bathing me was no fun for everyone involved. I was not afraid to get dirty like my brothers-but unlike my brothers; my head was full of long, thick, wavy black hair passed down from my Cherokee, Spanish, and Filipino ancestors. When you add gum, dirt, grass, and three wild kids lose in the summer, the one with all that hair is going to come home with all sorts of shit stuck in it. And I mean that literally. It only happened once, but I can still remember sitting in the bathtub as my parents stood over me, questioning what I had gotten in my hair this time. After four too many gum ordeals (peanut butter doesn't always work, y'all, but scissors do - they work every single time), I was forbidden to have any. I'll never forget listening to my mom and dad realize that there was dog shit matted in my hair. I was maybe 4 or 5, and I was so sure that this would be the time they'd finally had enough, and were going to shave my head.
Another bath time incident I won't forget was a favorite of my mama's. She was Filipino, Spanish, and Irish. I have "tan" skin, but during the summer I get so dark I'm black. If you have any ethnicity in you, then you know that dark skin is darker on certain body parts. Like your elbows. Or your knees. Well, my dad was Irish, English, and Cherokee, so while he could get as dark as I could with enough sun, he didn't have the same issue with his knees always looking dirty. So, in those first few summers I started staying outside more, whenever it was his turn to give me a bath, my dad would make me soak in the bathtub, thinking my knees were dirty. My mom thought this was hilarious, every time.
Me and my "dirty knees"Kerri Caldwell
As I got older, I became more aware of my mixed ethnicity. My siblings and I are an odd mix of what's running through our blood. My older brother and I, the two middle kids, take after our mom, with darker hair and skin. Our older sister and younger brother take after our dad's side. They have lighter skin and were born with red/blonde hair. Yeah.
Siblings Kerri Caldwell
Siblings CaldwellKerri Caldwell
Caldwell familyKerri Caldwell
But growing up in the 80's and 90's, those of us that couldn't be placed within a specific race faced judgment and stares, and my all-time favorite rude question, "What are you?" As a kid, it was something I absolutely hated.
However, in this day and age of acceptance and internet, not only am I not alone, but my fellow gals and guys of unspecified ethnicities have provided our kind with hilarious and relatable memes.
"You don't look mixed."http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Mixed race problemsKerri Caldwell
Problem 5http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Problem 86http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Growing Up Mixedhttp://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Problem 7http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
problem 81http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Problem 71http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Bath Timehttp://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Problem 18http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Mixed Skinhttp://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Problem 39http://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
Mixed People Problemshttp://mixed-people-problems.tumblr.com/post/16839189611
