When did your child become aware about race?

[MelismaticEchoes]

Mariah explains being "Multi-Racial/Bi-Racial" - YouTube

[Bluesmama]

I was very young when I became aware of it, like around 3, and that's likely because I watched "Spanky & Our Gang" all the time. I was intrigued by the various-looking children on the show and particularly by the black American ones.

I was with my mother in a department store when I noticed two black women pushing a stroller with a darling baby in it and I pulled on my mom's skirt and said, quite loudly, "Look, Mama! Look at that little Buckwheat!" I always remembered that, and years later my mother said that the women did not appear to take offense, likely because it was intended as a compliment (I thought the baby was sooo cute, as was Buckwheat). That was in the mid-50's.

Then I entered Kindergarten two years later and had a big mix in playmates.

[Tintlelli]

I don't have kids but I'll use myself as an example. I am a white person.

I think I was 4 or 5 when I first had thoughts about another's race. My mom took my sister and me to her workplace. One of the nurses, who was a tall, dark-complected AA woman, chatted with my mom and then bent down to greet and shake hands with us little ones. The palm of her hand was very dry and I wondered to myself if her palms are dry because she is black, or if all black people have dry palms like hers.

It took me a while longer to acknowledge that Latinos and "white people" (I use quotation marks because I know some Latinos are white/Caucasian) were not considered the same people. I had a Puerto Rican friend in my class until 4th grade, and it wasn't until 6th grade that I learned that she was considered a different race from me.

[Jayerdu]

My children are 6.5, 4.5 and 2 years old. None are aware. My ethnicity is korean and my husband is Jewish. We live in a predominately caucasion area. There are sprinkles of Asians both eastern and western Asians.