Who makes up your family?
Our family is comprised of an all American meat-n-potato Oregonian Papa, an island to-da-bone Mama and two lil guys who love Papa’s Pasta Alfredo just as much as Mama’s rice & peas and oxtail. The translation of this is, Papa is Caucasian. Mama is black. Our two boys are multiracial/multicultural. (Our oldest is actually from Mama’s previous IR marriage)

How did you meet?
We met when Mama dialed a wrong number. She didn’t realize it at first because Papa sounded just like the person Mama was trying to reach. Papa didn’t realize it either because Mama sounded just like someone he knew. After a few moments of confusion we realized the error and both of us had a hardy laugh. Just before exiting the call Papa mentioned that he hoped Mama would deliberately misdialed his number again. He got his wish later that night and four years later here we are.

What 3 words describe your family best?
Multicultural, Strengthening, Loving

Do you initiate discussions on your mixed race family with your kids or is it something they start by asking questions?
We really don’t discuss being a mixed race family with our children. To us, it’s far more important to raise them with a health appreciate of their dual heritage than the fact that they are two different races. We hope to build in our boys a strong sense of self, through knowing their familial history and background. As they get older, we know they will undoubtedly choose an identity that suits them. Our desire is, that with a solid upbringing that celebrates both cultures, they will be proud of who they are.

What is the key to your parenting success?
We parent differently. Papa is more strict than Mama. This blend of styles gives us a good balance. Often we will discuss with each other what course of action we will take before we handle a specific situation. We discuss with each and our children what boundaries and expectations we have for our family. Above all we simply love one another, be thankful for each other and always say sorry when we’ve hurt each other.

How do you help your children learn about and appreciate both of your cultures?
We often share stories about our growing up years and what it was like. We are both fortunate enough to have at least one parent alive so our children have gotten a chance to spend time getting to know older generations. As our children grow older we hope to take them to Haiti to visit where Mama grew up. In the coming year we will be taking a month long trip to Oregon so our children can visit where Papa grew up. In our cooking and holiday celebrations we incorporate traditions that we grew up with. We’ve even started traditions of our own that are a blend of the new, the old and what we’ve created.

What does life look like 20 years from now?
Twenty years from now, our hope is that our two lil guys have grown into well adjusted men of good character. Whatever it is that they’ll be doing at that time, we hope that their upbringing will make them proud but humble, strong but gentle spirited, and loving but willing to fight for what they believe in. As for Papa and Mama, they wouldn’t mind a nice little country home some place, where they can sit on the porch in the sunset sharing stories with their grandkids about our family and how it all began.