Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Am I Even Chinese at All? 6/365

After school, I always let my kids play up at the playground, and I sit around with a few moms and we chat.  This year we have an influx of Chinese and Korean students in our school because of the local Kia plant and all of their suppliers. 

There was two Chinese families at the playground yesterday and their two little girls were playing.  My youngest ventured over their way, and then this was the conversation that I overheard. It took some self restraint on my part, but I decided to let LeeLee handle it herself.

Chinese girl #1- "You need to go play somewhere else"
LeeLee- "WHY?"
Chinese girl #1- "Because you are not Chinese."
LeeLee- "Yes I am"
Chinese girl #1 and #2 in unison- "No you are not."
LeeLee- "Yes I am"
Chinese girl #1-  "No you are not, I am Chinese, you are not."
LeeLee- "I am Chinese, I look like I'm Chinese."
Chinese girl #1- "yes, but you are not from China."
LeeLee- "yes I am from China."
Chinese girl #2- "you don't speak Chinese"
LeeLee- Ni Hao, Gugu, Mei Mei, Jie Jie, see, I just spoke Chinese
Chinese girl #1 now looking a little perplexed- "Well, we still aren't going to play with you because you are not like us."
LeeLee- "You are right I am not like you, I was adopted by people who chose me, your parents didn't get to choose you, they just got stuck with you, and it looks like they got stuck with a couple of brats."  then she happily skipped off in the other direction.

Oh friends, part of me is so proud of my girl!!  She has self confidence, that can't be shaken by some children at the playground.  She knows who she is.  The other part of me was a tad bit embarrassed that she called the girls brats, but I have always been a call it like you see it type of girl, so we had to have a conversation about that.  The good things is, the girls had limited English and I heard one of them say, "What is a brat?"


But this little display yesterday, just reminds me that my girls will face issues like this all their lives.  They do live in a complicated place....one that I haven't experienced before, one that I have no wisdom to give them.  Some would argue my girls are not Chinese, they are American, or Chinese Americans, while others would see them as Chinese because after all, they look Chinese.  And then there is this, that they will face a certain outcasting from some in the Chinese community.  For each of my girls, they have to find their place in this world, and find who they are. But as for LeeLee, I think she fully understands this verse....I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are your works, And my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14  If she can hold onto that verse for life, I believe she will find her place in the world, and I will be her spectator rooting her on.