As it is, college application preparation is a huge task. Not just the mundane things only, but also the thoughts that are behind the process, the little and big things you have to worry about college, the hidden and not so hidden things etc.

I wish this book was published and distributed for every black parent long ago, it can't get as real and simple any better. I'm extremely grateful the authors, both black men, had given great thoughts in simplifying things so anyone can arm themselves with great wealth of knowledge to guide their kids and also confidently participate in the process dealing with school counselors. I'm just a happy parent sharing the info, got nothing to do with the authors.

Check it out yourself, it's titled "The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions" A conversation about education, parenting, and race.

Lately, an issue that has been heavy on my mind is healthy discipline. I was raised with a lot of spanking as the primary discipline tool. Now that I'm parenting myself, my main go to's are time out, taking away electronic devices, trying to frame what happened from empathy perspective, positive reinforcement for good behaviors, and very little spanking (maybe 1-3/year).

I really wonder about those with older kids and what kinds of outcomes you've seen with your children down the road.

I'm trying to do my best without being overly lenient. I also have to realize that my parents were very strict and a spanking was at least a weekly occurrence in my early years. I worry if it's possible I'm not doing enough without spanking to drive messages home. My parents were very much that 'this is what black people do'. I feel a bit like an outsider valuing it less, and wondering if I'm helping or hurting my black child. I hope this post makes sense, any thoughts advice are appreciated.

Hey everyone, I was just coming in here to say that I kind of wish we could make this sub more active. I would love to have some black parent solidarity on Reddit. Some of the other subs dedicated to parenting just make me 🙄. Okay that’s it. That’s the post.

Hello all. I am in the following predicament and want to know what other black parents would choose for their children. My kid is young but starts preK soon. The options are:

1. Local public school: diverse but not as strong academically
2. Local private school: diverse, very strong academically, but I wonder whether it’s worth spending money on and whether it’s better to save that money for her future
3. Nearby very strong public school district: ranked the top district in the state, mostly white and asian with very few black students

What is your biggest frustration related to relationship building, cultural understanding, community engagement, support, and attention to your child’s needs in areas such as handling their emotions and communicating with peers in the educational settings?

My thoughts is that we should be discussing the future about where our money will be spent, and make sure we hold ourselves accountable for the spending, as opposed to have one partner be aware at all times, and that same partner putting the vice grip on the budget - if that makes sense. That was my situation more or less, with the other party leaving because she felt that I sold her on a lie about allowing her to stay a stay at home mom till the kids went to preschool and that I have good financial management skills (I made enough to support two kids to preschool here 5 and 2, but had little to financial management skills that were supportive enough to make sure we could go on vacations and do other things that were meant to be fun). So regardless of my situation, curious how you all handle your situations when it comes to financial management in a family dynamic.

This is a very good documentary about Black astronauts. It is very good to watch with kids 10 & older. Kids younger could watch it too but there are parts where derogatory language is spoken. It made me so proud and I was so happy my kids (10 & 13) were able to see how these black pioneers persisted.

I’m hoping that someone here can steer me in the right direction.

In short, we are a black family in Brooklyn, NY with a child who will be two in September. My SO and I, both of us professionals, want our child to A) get an excellent education in B) an environment with a healthy amount of black children. (For the purposes of this discussion, let’s define “healthy amount” as at least 20% of the student body.)

Unfortunately, these two goals seem to be at odds. In NYC it seems you can either pick a predominantly white/Asian school in which your child is highly likely to receive a strong education, or you can pick a mediocre school in which your child is highly likely to be surrounded by people with a similar background as him/her.

This baffles me. NYC is a minority white city, one with a high number of black professionals. Where do these black professionals send their children to school?

I would love to hear from others who have found themselves in my position. Were you able to find a school that provided an environment with other black children while also more or less guaranteeing your child an excellent education, the way that the specialized, gifted and talented, and/or top private schools do?

My family is fortunate to be able to live in pretty much any area of NYC, so if the school environment described above can be found in some other borough, please share. I know there are some solid school districts with actual black students in NJ, like South Orange, but moving to NJ isn’t really an option.

Hello all!!! I was wondering if you all had any suggestions for some amazing books for parents (particularly moms) that are raising these amazing young African American men today?! I am a boy mom, one that is 4 and the other is 11 and I find myself constantly looking for feedback and/or inspiration from other women that are doing the same.. I mean.. there’s so many topics to be discussed, but I guess I’m starting to feel like I’m struggling to feel “connected” and bond with my 11 yr old.. I know he’s in this weird age space and I’m constantly looking for feedback or clues that I am pouring into him enough. It’s Hard to feel like you’re missing the mark somewhere and don’t really know where to start or how to be what I need for him in this day and age. Any ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated and welcomed!?!

Concerned parents in Virginia need to act now. If they do not the governing body of Virginia can lobby to add a controversial teaching curriculum to our schools. It has already been approved in another state in America. I started a petition because I knew that if we came together we could let the governing body in Virginia know that we do not want this controversial curriculum introduced as a learning tool for our children. Please take just a minute to sign and share today.

Keep PragerU out of Virginia Schools.

When did you start using regular hair products on your babies? My little guy is 14.5 months old and still has a bit of his baby curl pattern, but it’s more coarse and thick than anything. Is it okay for us to share products (Mielle, Shea Moisture) or should I still use baby hair products on him (been using Shea Moisture Baby/Kids)?

*I feel like I should note: baby has 2 Black parents and is likely 4c hair type.

Hello! You may be interested in a new research project looking at how non-verbal gestures can influence learning outcomes for children. The Duke study is for children between the ages of 5-8 and is 100% online through the Zoom Platform.

More about us: We are the Duke Identity and Diversity Lab, located in Durham, NC. Our lab is broadly interested in relations among social identities (i.e. race, gender, etc.), perception, and behavior, as well as the emergence and change of social identity features across time. Here is our website if you would like to learn more about what we do in the lab! https://sites.duke.edu/dukeidlab/

If you are interested in participating in this study please complete this brief survey or email us at dukeidlab@gmail.com.

My baby boy just turned 1 recently (🥹) and was given the okay to try cows milk. It’s been almost a week and he has yet to finish a serving (4oz) or anything close to it.

I’ve tried it cold, warm, mixed with breastmilk (our biggest success with about 4 gulps) and it ends up with his cup on the floor.

How long did it take your little one to get used to cow’s milk? We’ve only been at it for less than a week.

I originally posted this on r/parenting but was told this may be a better place to post.

I male 23 and husband male 25 are both white. We recently adopted a beautiful baby girl. The adoption process was really long and we applied last year for a newborn. We recently got informed that there was a child available and where asked if we were comfortable adopting a child with black skin. We where more than happy to do this and are now so proud to welcome her into our family. However, I’m starting to feel guilty and more panicked because I’m not too sure on how to raise a black child without taking away from her race and ethnicity.

So I came here to ask for any help any has. Like any tutorials/ places to learn how to style and manage black hair (her hair is 4c if that means anything.). Or places that I could go to learn about her heritage.

From what the adoption agency said her biological mother is of Ghanaian and Nigerian decent, so I’d like to rn or pirate as much of that into her childhood and upbringing without cultural appropriation or misappropriation of her culture.

So any help would be greatly appreciated by me and my husband. I’ll list everything that I think is relevant below.

We live in the uk. (London). We live in a wealthy predominantly white neighbourhood. I’m Greek, husband is Italian (we’d like to incorporate our culture as well if possible). Daughter has 4c hair. There is no one from her bio family that is able/ willing to stay in contact. Her skin tone is dark, from what I’ve seen on the internet I’d call it a chocolate- bronze.

Any questions feel free to ask if it’ll help.

White parents seeking advice please. Our soon-to-be 4y daughter really wants to have her birthday party with her daycare friends at an indoor playground called "Monkey Around" (previously called "Little Monkeys").

TIL that the nursery rhyme " Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" has racist origins. I also read a previous post on r/blackparents about a sister-in-law calling a biracial child monkey. I wasn't aware, but now understand, that some parents avoid any monkey clothes or toys for their kids and definitely don't use it as a term of endearment.

Would some of my daughter's black peers be offended at being invited to an indoor playground called "Monkey Around" (maybe there's a reason it's no longer called "Little Monkeys") or, in my ignorance, am I overthinking this? Thank you for your kind help.

My son is 5 (Pre-K) and has been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD. Academically and socially, he is great, but has distinct episodes of poor behavior that make me concerned for the long-term--for both of us as I have tried multiple approaches and am running low on ideas to best help him.

Hi. I am an African American mother living in a predominantly white neighborhood in the suburbs of Illinois. My 5-year-old just started Kindergarten this year. Yesterday he came home and told me that he "wishes his skin was white". It really broke my heart. I asked him why. He told me that "white skin is better". I asked him why would he think that and he said that everybody at his school is white and he wants white skin like his friends. I told him that his skin was beautiful and that he has brown skin like his family. I needed a minute to gather my thoughts so I let him leave the room after speaking about it shortly. I brought it back up to him the next day. I told him how much I loved his skin. How beautiful he was. I told him that just because he's different at school, does not mean he's bad. After our conversation, I had him repeat 4 key points of our conversation, which he did. I am still very bothered by this though. I worked hard to get my family out of the hood, due to how violent and dangerous it is (we've lost several family members due to the gun violence in Chicago) but I don't want my kids to grow up not loving themselves because of the neighborhood we live in and the schools they go to. I don't know what to do or how to help him. Please help