Dear Sugar:
Today I'm introducing you to one of my newest favorite people, Diedre Anthony. Diedre is the author of a fabulous up-and-coming blog called Are Those Your Kids? And if you follow me on Facebook, Diedre and I have made multiple appearances together on Facebook Live, talking about hair, nosy strangers, school, and much more.
What I love about Diedre (pronounced Day-dra) is her authenticity. What you see-hear-read is what you get. She's also incredibly supportive of fellow multiracial families, running a Facebook group just for moms like me (and you?).
Rachel: Tell me about yourself.
Diedre: I've been a school counselor for 10 years...a middle school one for 6 of those years. I guess you can say that has prepared me to deal with drama :)
I live in Statesboro, Georgia, a small town 45 minutes from Savannah, Georgia. Thanks to the college, it has brought diversity to our town. I met my husband here while in graduate school. He was born and raised here. We have been married for 7 years and dated for 3 years prior to getting married. We met while folding shirts in the men's department at JCPenney.
I'm an "Air Force brat" but I grew up on the same base for the majority of my life. Looking at my group of friends was like looking at the United Nations. The base brought a variety of cultures and races together. Diversity was our way of life.
I have 2 daughters ages 3 and 5 going on ages 16 and 21. They both have very different textures of hair. Trying to figure out what worked best in their hair is what prompted me to start my blog, Are Those Your Kids. I couldn't find many resources for biracial kids, so I decided to be that resource for others.
In my free time I love to write, shop for makeup and hair products (I'm a self proclaimed product junkie) and read.
Rachel: What is the mission of your blog, Are Those Your Kids?
Diedre: To empower multiracial families with resources and help them navigate the journey of raising biracial children. Having a multiracial family poses some unique challenges that monoracial families never have to consider. All sorts of questions arise and parents are looking for some guidance to answer them. Questions like, what if my child is the only minority in their class? Or what if someone asks what my child is? Or what if a kid makes fun of my child's lunch because it's culturally different?
Rachel: You and I have discussed this top at length on Facebook Live, because our followers LOVE talking about this topic. But I'll ask again: how do you react when someone makes an inappropriate remark or asks an absurd question about your multiracial family?
Diedre: I usually respond with some level of sarcasm if I feel like they are being intrusive or mean spirited. If they are asking questions, I usually follow up with a question like, what do you mean? Or why do you say that? Sometimes that stops the conversation from going to uncomfortable places.
Rachel: Let's talk about hair! Give me your single best hair tip and your top three favorite products right now.
Diedre: Wow, just 1? That's tough! I guess my best tip would be to do the majority of curly hair styling while the hair is soaking wet or damp. This makes detangling and styling so much easier. My top 3 favorite products are the Mane Choice Shampoo/conditioner, Mielle Organics Babassu Oil and Mint Deep Conditioner and; Shea Moisture Curl Gel Souffle.
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