It's ironic (or in some divine plan) that at the same time the world seems more divided than ever, we're marrying people different than us in record numbers.
We're giving birth to biracial babies at ever higher numbers. The changing family profile is rapidly changing the world, but families may need some help as they navigate the stresses and challenges any multicultural or interracial families faces today.
Intuitive life coach Kathryn Ramsperger can help because she is part of a biracial family, has lived overseas, managed departments of many nationalities and cultures in Europe, Africa, and the U.S., and was in bi-cultural relationships. She's worked at the International Red Cross in Geneva with almost 100 different cultures and in southeastern Africa. She's also written extensively about multicultural communication and coached interracial families.
Here are just a few of the ways interracial family coaching can help you:
Couples
Long-distance relationships
Coming back home from overseas
Home again from missions
Family judgment
Societal prejudice
Family
Mixed families
Families of different races
Families of other cultures
People living in the U.S. short-term from other nations
Better understand the subtle and not-so-subtle prejudices your child faces.
School
Help teachers understand your student's learning differences and culture.
Develop a common vision and action plan with your school for your child's educational goals.
Create a school international event or a kindness day.
Stop bullying and judgment.
Business
Develop your international leadership skills.
Work well with others who are different from you.
Shine in a multicultural environment.
Get a promotion abroad.
Become a catalyst for mutual understanding and change.
Life
Overcome stereotypes (yours and others).
Connect more fully with others.
Develop empathy.
Cultivate empathetic communication.
Initiate change.
Broaden your horizons.
If we are going to change what is happening in a meaningful way we’re going to need to intentionally be with people who are different from us. We’re going to have to learn how to listen, have hard conversations, look for joy, share pain, and be more curious than defensive, all while seeking moments of togetherness.
-Brene Brown
Interracial Families Coaching: Politics, Race, and Love
I can help you because I get it.
I can help you because I get it. I live in a family made of different cultures. My daughter is Chinese. My husband is a Jersey boy. My son was born in Switzerland. Me? I'm not certain where I'm from. "Home is where the cat is," I joke.
Most of us in multicultural families know we love like same-culture families. We argue like same-race families, and we want to be accepted like people with similar cultures do. The real problem is when society and politics infringe on our nests. People have expectations and prejudices about our differences that we must navigate in our daily routine, and may bring home at the end of the day. I can help you navigate people, organizations, and groups that may be threatened by differences. I can also help you communicate better with your spouse or romantic partner from another culture.
I can help you with decisions like:
Where will we live?
How often will we move?
Who's going to stay home with the kids, if anyone?
And so much more about the daily conversations specific to bi-cultural families....
The benefits of ANY interracial or multicultural relationship far outweighs its challenges. There's a lot we can learn about unconditional love from our romantic relationships, too. If we talk to one another, we realize we're much more alike than different.
"One year into Donald Trump's presidency, Americans remain divided, often unwilling to listen to what the other side has to say. It's happening in families, among friends and at the workplace. We witnessed that schism first-hand last fall when we went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and gathered 14 people - seven who voted for Mr. Trump, seven who did not.... But then we learned that, after disagreeing on virtually everything, our group stayed in close touch. Members from opposite sides of the divide actually became friends, organizing outings and talking every day...."
- Oprah, 60 Minutes
With a little help, we can heal.
And our healing will gradually heal the world. We're forerunners. Come to think of it, maybe it was all in the plan, those interracial marriages, biracial babies, and multicultural families. Because those families are our world's future. We walk in at least two different styles of shoes. If anything will bring the world together more rapidly, it's empathy and better understanding for The Other. Mixed with love and compassion for ourselves.