Do interracial parents invest more in their children?
According to a study appearing in the American Journal of Sociology, interracial parents tend to spend more time and money on their kids than mono-racial parents do. They are more likely to provide their children with the best of everything… a home computer, private schooling, educational books and CDs, and they also ensure that their kids are active participants in outside school activities.
The author of this study explains that this high investment in their children is a counterweight or response to the social challenges faced by interracial couples. Since they constantly face challenges in being a couple, they are aware of the challenges their children might or will be facing and this becomes a way of trying to compensate for their ‘misery’.
However there was one interesting exception to the findings of this study… black father/white mother families tend to invest fewer resources into kids than do black mono-racial couples and white mono-racial couples. Quite interesting! So how do you explain this one?
So do we bring in the social class issue… that those who invest more do so for the very obvious reason… they are wealthier? Was social class factored into this study?
Well… the explanation given for interracial parents spending more seems plausible – social & cultural opposition. I myself would probably find myself offering more emotional and material support just so my kids don’t appear different in all ways - from color to class.
Contrary to negative opinions about interracial families, the data collected shows that interracial parents seem to be well aware of the extra challenges they face and are doing whatever they can to prepare their children to effectively face those challenges. So does this make interracial parents better parents just coz they invest more in their kids to make up for lingering hostility they face? And if so, how come in the case of black father/white mother, the parents spent less than their mono-racial counterparts?
Tags: black dating site, interracial dating site, interracial parents
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Comment by Cocokisses on 13 June 2007:
I can’t speak for the brothers, but I find this article to be very true. My daughter has the best of everything. She is a self proclaimed “spoiled brat”. I don’t mind as long as she keeps making the grades. I have to admit that since I don’t have any other kids, I have nothing to caompare it to. As a Mom, I do beliee I will give my children the best that I can, whether they are bi-racial, or not.
Comment by Cocokisses on 13 June 2007:
I can’t speak for the brothers, but I find this article to be very true. My daughter has the best of everything. She is a self proclaimed “spoiled brat”. I don’t mind as long as she keeps making the grades. I have to admit that since I don’t have any other kids, I have nothing to compare it to. As a Mom, I do believe I will give my children the best that I can, whether they are bi-racial, or not.
Comment by laugh_sailor on 14 June 2007:
Thanks for the enlightening article, Ria. Did you check out Monday’s NPR article on interracial relationships, on the 40th. anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Loving decision, vacating all miscegenation laws? A very touching and enlightening piece, archived on National Public Radio.
Comment by fala on 14 June 2007:
Good point Laugh_Sailor - thanks for bringing up that anniversary. Amazing that it only happened 40 years ago, isn’t it?
Comment by mossimo on 15 June 2007:
Thanks for the article Ria….very interesting
Comment by fala on 16 June 2007:
I agree with you Cocokisses.
Comment by Cocokisses on 17 June 2007:
Its funny Fala, but I am sure I am not the only person with a bi-racial child. I think I am able to provide a better life for her because I waited until my career was established before I gave birth. Maybe that’s why I can do the things I do for her…I wasn’t a teenage mom when I had her.
Comment by laugh_sailor on 17 June 2007:
You sound like a wonderful, thoughtful and (of course) caring mother, Cocokisses - My hat’s off to you.
Comment by Thomas on 19 June 2007:
All parents should always invest in their children as much as they can doesnt matter if they interracial or not. But that is not the reality and we should not forget the ones who are not in the position to do that. We all know that miserable creates miserbale.
Comment by Thomas on 22 June 2007:
Hello@all
Comment by Thomas on 25 June 2007:
Anybody there?!?
Comment by mossimo on 25 June 2007:
Cocokisses….you are a wonderful mother and woman
Comment by Thomas on 26 June 2007:
Cocokisses, I think you are a very good mother.
Comment by fala on 26 June 2007:
I agree Coco! It’s unanimous! You’re a great mother and a wonderful person!
Comment by mossimo on 6 July 2007:
All in favor say aye!!!
Comment by sonu786 on 9 July 2007:
thanks for all,
Comment by doremi on 16 July 2007:
“they are aware of the challenges their children might or will be facing and this becomes a way of trying to compensate for their ‘misery’..(!) I don’t believe in this article’s protrayal of mixed kids lives as a misery! No child irrespective of what race should be viewed as such. These are people who manifest negative societal norms. Even a child with celebralpalsy living in daily pain should never be portrayed as a ‘misery’. Children are God’s gift, please try to refrain from using such forums to channel your negative thoughts!
Comment by RayneDelay on 17 July 2007:
In my opinion and my experiences with biracial children is that interracial couples are more likely to invest more in their children for the simple fact that they feel as if they have something special by having a bi-racial kid (color struck) or like some sort of boobie prize. I know several black mothers whom have black children from their first husbands/childs father (black men) and have trouble getting along with them due to the fact that the black child does not like how they were treated and the the black child feels like the biracial sibling is treated better or favored. I have to agree with them. Look at all the biracial celebrities like Halle Berry. Many White mothers tend to dote on there little brown babies and enter them into beauty contests. Even in the same race couples/families, the lighter skinned kid or blonde/fair skinned kid is favored. Color seems to be an issue.
I agree with the article when the writer said that the parents are more protective due to the issues that biracial kids will face. Keep in mind that all children will face issues at an early age in schools.
Another example of race being an issue when it comes to favoring one child over the other; Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Angie stated that her white child was a blob compared to her children of other races.
I think this is an issue that every family has experienced.
Comment by Thomas on 18 July 2007:
I have no bi-racial kids but I would always do my very best for my kids, doesnt matter if they are bi-racial or not.
Comment by RayneDelay on 18 July 2007:
Thomas that’s the way it should be. My father chose favorites and it caused resentment amoung the kids.
Comment by Thomas on 19 July 2007:
Hi RayneDelay,
we all know that is very difficult to avoid unfaireness between the kids because it comes very often out of specific situations. However, we should always try. I hope that my kids will never tell me that I chose a favorit.
Comment by RayneDelay on 21 July 2007:
Yes, I was the favorite child with my father and it created a lot of insecurites among my brothers and sisters. And they still have problems because of it. And they are grown folks now.
Comment by Jade74 on 8 September 2007:
We all should invest more in our children whether they are bi-racial or not.They are our future.
Comment by sofia ao on 26 May 2008:
It probably has to do with economics (the diff between black father/white mother combinations and other racial combos of parents). Most of the black father/white mother combinations I know of are not doing well financially. I know some who are, but they are all married and together for a long time. I wonder what other factors were taken into account, such as: being married, having other children outside of that relationship (meaning there is less money to invest in the children of the current union), etc?