Friday, November 11, 2011

Blame Dave P: How The McBrothas Got Their Name



I apologize in advance for the racial undertones, overtones, highlights, and lowlights, but this is the story that must be told.

                                          Exhibit A: Baby Daniel


A few weeks after Daniel was born, I walked into 1048 to show everyone pictures of my sweet little boy. He had hair the color of a new penny and eyes the color of a back-to-school pair of Levi’s. He was beautiful. 

When the pictures got to Dave P( bling, blong, blaow), the lead singer and harmonica player of my favorite band, Blues Old Stand, he said, “Damn, Tange, that’s one white ass baby. You should call him Blackie McWhiteBoy.” 

I laughed. Hard.  P.Moe was absolutely right. Daniel was the whitest black baby I had ever seen. He was the perfect mix of DaddyFixIt and me. He was as white as his dad, and had blue eyes. If it hadn’t been for his perfectly pouty little mouth, I would go to my grave believing some white woman down the hall and I had been victims of a soap opera caliber baby swap.

When I got home from my adventure in Cloverdale (It wasn’t a full Happy Hour. I couldn’t drink, because I was pregnant, yet again.) I told the husband what Dave P said. I fully expected him to hit the roof. We had had a couple of full on brushes with some pretty snarky comments about our race mixing.  While I thought Blackie McWhiteBoy was the funniest thing I ever heard, I wasn’t so sure about Old Daddy. To my amazement he laughed. Hard. He picked up his son and said, “Well, I guess you are Blackie McWhiteBoy.”

                                          Exhibit B: Baby Adam


Nine months later Adam was born. His eyes were even bluer. His hair was even lighter. Rene and I started calling him Whitey McBrotha. Adam looked nothing like me. At. ALL. I still think he may have been switched.

The boys are just getting to the age where they recognize that we all look a little different.  Daniel is noticing it more. The other day, he pronounces Old Daddy to be “Pink, Strawberry Ice Cream.”  Daniel said he and Adam were “Kinda Yellow Ice Cream,” and “Mama, you’re my favorite. You’re Chocolate!” Rene and I had a good old laugh off of that. I’m just glad I’m still my little boy’s favorite!

 As the McBrothas grow up and move out into a world that can be very harsh to people of all flavors, I hope that they always remember that the love Daddy and I feel for each other and feel for them will never have a color. We are a Neapolitan McFamily.

6 comments:

  1. Love the McFamily thing, Tangela! You are such a special lady, your family is so lucky you are their McMom!!!

    Connie Walden

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  2. I LOVE this :) That's exactly the Tangela I know and she is amazing :)
    Your old buddy,
    Mike Walker

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  3. I love all the flavors of your McFamily!!! :) Can't wait to hear all the McStories of the McBrothas as they grow.

    Love,
    McMom/Mc Grandma

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  4. I love the Neapolitan McFamily! Bug

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  5. Tangela, I found your blog after reading your story on CNN. You're a very skilled, entertaining writer and your boys are cute, cute, cute.

    Your story reminded me of when my son was about 4 years old. His twin sisters, who we adopted from India, were 3 years old and much darker skinned. I'm "strawberry" like your hubby and my hubby is "chocolate" also having come from India.

    One day I was baking cookies for the kids and accidentally burned a pan full. After I had pulled them out of the oven and taken care of the mess, I sat back down with the book which had caused the mishap to begin with.

    Dear son crawls up beside me and in all seriousness asks "Mommy, is that what happened to the girls?"

    "What happened to the girls?" I asked in confusion.

    "Is that why they're darker? Were they left in the oven too long?" he clarified.

    I never laughed so hard. We still laugh about it to this day. Sorry, just had to share. :-)

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  6. I saw your article on CNN too. You are an amazing writer. I am also very interested in your cleaning blog. Keep up the good work!

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